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I LIBRARY OF CONGRESS J 



! UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, f 



THE 



MADISOISr AVENUE 



LECTUEES. 



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^ |]|)Uairdpl)ia: 

AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 



530 ARCH STREET. 












Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1867, by the 

AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, in and for 
the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 



S. A. GEORGE, 

STEREOTTPER, ELECTROTYPER, AND PRINTER, 

124 NORTH SEVENTH STREET, 

PHILADELPHIA. 



3i, 3 



\ 




I1^5"TE0DUCT0ET KOTE. 



The Lectures composing the Series embraced in 
this volume, were delivered in the Madison Avenue 
Baptist Church, New York, by special request of the 
pastor, Henry G. Weston, D. D. 

The marked excellence of the Lectures, as exposi- 
tions of the truths which are embodied and exhibited 
in the precious ordinances of the gospel, and of the 
views .which are held by the members of the "Bap- 
tized Churches," as they were originally called; their 
broad and thorough survey of the topics brought 
under discussion ; and the genial spirit of true Chris- 
tian courtesy which breathes through them, give 
promise of a wide usefulness. Hence they are com- 
mitted to the press, in the earnest hope that the Lord 
will use them as a means of advancing his own truth 
and of promoting that object so dear to the Lord, and 
to all who walk in fellowship with him, — the full, 

and joyous union of his people in that truth. 

(3) 



OOKTEKTS. 



-♦♦^ 



LECTUKE I. PA«B 

The Bible the only Standard of Christian Doctrine 
AND Duty 7 

By Alvah Hovet, D.D., Professor of Christian Theology in the Newton 
Theological Institution. 

LECTURE II. 
The Obligation of the Church Respecting the Holy 
Scriptures 36 

By HENRr C. Fish, D.D., Pastor of First Baptist Church, Newark, N. J. 

LECTURE III. 

The Spiritual Constitution of the Christian Church.. 61 

By Rev. C. B. Crane, Pastor of South Baptist Church, Hartford, Conn. 

LECTURE lY. 
Baptism 85 

By Rev. G. D. B. Pepper, Professor in the Newton Theological Insti- 
tution. 

LECTURE Y. 
Baptism a Symbol 115 

By George D. Boardman, D. D., Pastor of the First Baptist Church, 
Philadelphia. 

LECTURE YL 
The Qualifications for Baptism 136 

By Rev. Henry E. Robins, Pastor of the Central Baptist Church, 
Newport, R. I. 

LECTURE YIL 
The Evils of Infant Baptism 160 

By A. N. Arnold, D. D., Professor of Biblical Interpretation in Hamil- 
ton Theological Seminary. 

LECTURE YIIL 
The Communion 183 

By Henry G. Weston, D. D., Pastor of Madison Avenue Baptist 
Church, New York. 

LECTURE IX. 
The Symbolism of the Communion 196 

By Rev. Lemuel Moss, Professor of Systematic Theology in University 
at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. 



(5) 



6 Contents. 

LEOTUKE X. PA(»B 

Qualifications for the Communion 217 

By John ^Y. Sarles, D.D., Pastor of Central Baptist Church, Brooklyn, 

N. Y. 

LECTURE XI. 
The Relation between Baptism and the Communion 243 

By Thomas D. Anderson, B.D., Pastor of Fu'st Baptist Church, New- 
York City. 

LECTURE XII. 
Church Polity 261 

By GrEORGE W. Samson, D.D., President of Columbian College, D. C. 

LECTURE XIII. 
Church "Worship 289 

By Samuel L. Caldwell, D.D., Pastor of First Baptist Church, Provi- 
dence, K. I. 

LECTURE XIY. 
Baptist Church History 309 

By Rev. R. J. W. Buckland, Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, New 
York. 

LECTURE XY. 
The Rise and Development of Sectarianism in Christen- 
dom 337 

By William Hague, D.D., Pastor of Shawmut Avenue Baptist Church, 

Boston, Massachusetts. 

LECTURE XYI. 
MisssiON OF Baptists 364 

By J. B. Jeter, D.D., of Richmond, Virginia. 

LECTURE XYIL 
The Relation of the Church and the Bible 387 

By E. G. Robinson, D.D., Professor in the Rochester Theological Semi- 
nary. 

LECTURE XYIIL 
The Church in its Relations to the State 420 

By William R. Williams, D.D., late Pastor of Amity Street Baptist 
Church, New York City. 



MADISOJS^ AYENUE LECTURES. 



I. 

THE BIBLE THE ONLY STANDARD OF CHRISTIAN 
DOCTRINE AND DUTY. 

By ALVAH HOVEY, D. D. 

Professor of Christian Theology in the Newton Theological Institution. 

"howbeit, when he, the spirit of truth, shall come, he will guide you 
INTO ALL truth." — John xvi. 13. 

It is my hope that you will consent to go back with 
me to one of the first principles of our belief, and that 
we shall be able, within the limits of an hour, to verify 
anew its soundness and worth. The principle to which 
I refer w^as dear to our fathers, was asserted by them 
with intelligent zeal, was felt to be the source of what- 
ever distinguished them from other Christians, and was 
reverenced as an Ithuriel's spear by which error could 
be detected, and its real nature made manifest, ^^ for no 
falsehood can endure 

^ Touch of celestial temper, but returns 
Of force to its own likeness.' " 

This cardinal principle is the truth, not yet unfamiliar 
to our ears, that the Bible is the only standard of Chris- 
tian Doctrine and Duty ; a principle which is repudiated 
by some, because they deny the divine authority of the 
Bible, and by others, because they deny the sufficiency 
of its teaching. Moreover, at different points between 

CT) 



8 The Bible the only Standard. 

these extremes and the central position held by us, 
many are moving to and fro in doubt, either assigning 
to the Bible a merely indefinite superiority to other 
books, or charging it with more or less incompleteness 
in the exhibition of needed truth. 

You will therefore, I am sure, regard as timely an argu- 
ment for the soundness and sacredness of the principle, 
that the Bible is the only proper standard of Christian 
faith and practice; — a principle which may be easily 
drawn from the language of my text: " Howbeit, when 
He, the Spirit of truth shall come, he ivill guide you into 
all the truth.^^ ISTot — as the authorized version, which 
omits the article, may suggest — into all truth of whatever 
domain, scientific, historic, philosophic ; but into all the 
truth which pertains to the religion of Christ as adaj^ted 
to men in their present state, and which, by its office in 
making known the moral perfections of God and the 
way of eternal life for man, outshines all other truth, 
even as the sun at noonday outshines all other light. 

Into this truth, the highest and the best, was the Holy 
Spirit to guide the eleven disciples addressed by our 
Saviour ; and it will be my aim to show that the promise 
recorded in m}^ text involves the divine authority and 
completeness of the Bible, as a source of Christian truth. 

I. It involves the divine authority of the Bible. This 
will be evident, if it can be made to appear that Christ 
was an infallible teacher; that he uttered this great 
promise, and that the apostles were upright men. For 
if this promise was made by an infallible being, it was 
surely fulfilled, and the apostles were in due time guided 
into all the truth ; and if the apostles were honest men, 
they taught by pen and tongue what they knew, namel}^, 
the truth ; and if they taught the truth, it will be easy 
to establish by their words the divine authority of the 
Bible. So that what we need to show, without assuming 



/ 



The Bible the only Standard. 9 

for tliis purpose the inspiration of the Scriptures, is — 
1. That Jesus Christ was infallible. 2. That he uttered 
the promise of my text, and 3. That his apostles were 
upright men. 

To establish the infallibility of Christ, I will first 
appeal to four great letters of Paul, namely, those to 
the Romans, to the Corinthians, and to the Galatians. 
These letters are instinct with reality. They are at the 
furthest possible remove from the realm of fancy. They 
are full of the pith and substance, the bone and muscle, 
the spring and force, the ardor and glow of actual life. 
They deal with specific evils. They refute particular 
errors. They check definite disorders. They repel 
given slanders. They prescribe for distinct offences. 
They assert special rights. Sharp logic, open rebuke, 
fervid appeal, follow one another in swift succession. 
What rapidity, variety, freedom, and fire do we jperceive ! 
Yea, what zeal, yea, what carefulness, yea, what clear- 
ing of himself, yea, what indignation, yea, what vehe- 
ment desire. How intensely personal are these letters ! 
How sensitive was their writer to the opinions and 
practices of those addressed ! What love to them glows 
in his language! What readiness to be spent in their 
service! What downright honesty, fidelity, and great- 
ness of soul breathe from every page ! These sentences 
were called for by the wants of living men, or we may 
close up the volume of history. Whoever can deem 
them a work of fiction or of falsehood has lost the 
sense of reality, the power of discriminating between the 
actual and the ideal, and may well despair of finding 
any thing true in all the records of the past. Even the 
remorseless unbelief of Baur spared these four letters. 

Let us, then, open these writings of Paul and study 
their language ; for they take us back within the quarter 
of a century which followed the death of Christ, and 



lo The Bible the only Standard. 

give us the words of a self-denying, keen-sighted, trust- 
worthy man. 

Hence their testimony may be expected to shed no 
little light upon the character of Christ and his apostles. 
It sheds much. For they affirm that in his human 
nature Christ was made of a woman; made under the 
law, made in the likeness of sinful flesh, that he was the 
promised seed of Abraham and a descendant of David. 
They teach that in virtue of his higher nature he was 
the Son of God, who though rich, for our sakes became 
poor. They assert that he knew no sin, yet died for 
men as a propitiatory sacrifice, to exhibit the righteous- 
ness of God. They declare that believers are justified 
by his blood and saved from wrath through him, and 
that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. 
They assure us of his resurrection, and infer from it the 
resurrection of all his saints. They say that he '' died 
for our sins according to the Scriptures; that he was 
buried, and that he rose again the third day; that he 
appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve; after that, he 
appeared to above five hundred brethren at once; of 
whom the greater part remain until now, but some are 
fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to 
all the apostles. And last of all he appeared to me 
also, as the one born out of due time.'' 

According to these letters, Paul himself had seen the 
Lord, had received from him the great truths of the 
gospel with a charge to bear them to the Gentiles, and 
had preached them with marked success. He had been 
recognized by the other apostles as their peer, and had 
gone forth to his work in their fellowship. He knew 
Peter, James, and John, and his view of Christ was 
approved by them. Hence their estimate of the Lord's 
character may be learned from his. If Paul gloried in 
being a servant of Christ, so did the other apostles. 



The Bible the only Standard. ii 

And I do not quite see how any intelligent man can 
make these letters of Paul a study without being at 
length assured that, in his judgment, Christ was not 
only an infallible teacher, holy and true, the source of 
light and ]3eace to men, but also in his higher nature, 
'^ God over all blessed forever, i 

And when we look again into these letters to ascertain 
what sort of a man the apostle was made by Christian 
faith; when we note his love and zeal, his purity and 
wisdom ; when we read his powerful words, and compare 
his spirit, gushing out in streams of generous emotion, 
with that of Cicero as revealed by his familiar letters — • 
we have reason enough to say that by faith in Christ he 
came to be a new creature, old things passed away, and 
all things became new. 

And when we learn from his words the influence of 
Christianity over those who had been converted under 
his preaching, there will be no less reason to believe that 
the glad news respecting Christ had indeed proved itself 
to be the power of God, and the wisdom of God unto 
salvation. In a word, these four letters of Paul estab- 
lish the chief events of our Lord's earthly mission and 
the general truth of his teaching; they do more than 
this, they establish the great fact of his resurrection 
from the dead, and thereby the absolute authority and 
truth of his word. A patient study of these letters will 
carry the mind from point to point, until it is seen that 
the whole Bible is true. The remaining letters of Paul, 
and all the writings of the New Testament, will be found 
in vital unity with these ; and especially will the life and 
character of Christ, as set before us in the gospels, be 
seen to underlie all the teaching of Paul. If this be 
true, these four letters go far toward proving that Christ 
was a teacher of truth, without any mixture of error. 

Again, to establish the infallibility of Christ I will 



12 The Bible the only Standard. 

appeal to the four gospels. For so unique and original, 
so pure and perfect, so truly human and yet manifestlj^ 
divine, is the character of Christ as portrayed by the 
evangelists, that we cannot suppose it to be an ideal 
creation. The story of this deep and marvelous life, 
moving on, calm, clear, frie, intense, earnest, full of light 
and love, of strength and beauty, can be traced to no 
earthly imagination. It was a real life; the most real 
and genuine in all the ages. To feel this, it may be 
necessary to look more closely at the gospels ; for our 
familiarity with them often prevents us from doing 
justice to their superlative excellence. Here, then, are 
four distinct records, diverseyet harmonious. So marked 
are the differences, even in relating the same events, that 
some have rashly inferred contradiction; yet so deep 
and pervading is the harmony, that others have inferred 
transcription. 

Let it now be supposed that the gospel of Mark, 
which is the shortest of the four, beginning with the 
public ministry of Jesus, was the first written. This 
record gives us action chiefly and not discourse. It 
represents Christ as going from place to place, over 
the hills and through the villages of Palestine, and doing 
mighty works. It is objective, minute, graphic, pictu- 
resque. It abounds in notices of such particulars as 
would fix themselves in the memory of a keen observer. 
In several instances it mentions the bearing of Christ, 
the dialect which he used, and the expression of his 
countenance. It makes brief record of parables, dis- 
courses, and pregnant sayings. And every where, from 
first to last, this rapid narrative sets before us a being 
of transcendent power, love and grace — a being divine 
as well as human, walking upon the earth but having 
commerce with the skies. But the picture, though fault- 
less in execution, so far as it goes, is unfinished ; for to 



- The Bible the only Standard. 13 

say nothing of other defects, there is no reference in it 
to the birth or lineage or early da^^s of Jesus. It is an 
incomplete picture, but the work of a master , reminding 
us of the great painting of Washington Allston, which 
still waits for an artist to finish it. If this gospel were 
a product of imagination and art, ages might be 
expected to pass before a man of genius and daring, 
equal to the task of completing it, would appear. 

But no; it has scarcely seen the light, before the 
gospel of Matthew is written ; a record of discourse as 
well as of action, giving a far ampler rehearsal of para- 
bles, sermons, predictions ; pointing out the fulfillment 
of prophecy in the person of Christ, showing him to be 
the promised Messiah of Israel, thus binding together 
the old dispensation and the new, and suppl3dng a brief 
account of his birth and early history. Here are large 
additions and considerable omissions ; yet the character 
is not changed, the total impression is the same. The 
birth of Christ is in harmony with his life ; the quiet of 
his boyhood with the simple dignity and speech of his 
manhood. If, then, the life of Jesus as delineated by 
Mark is grand and holy be3^ond the power of any writer 
to originate by an effort of imagination, so that we are 
sure it was taken from nature, how much surer may we 
be, that no second writer of that age could give us 
another and a fuller delineation of the same life, without 
changing its character or marring its beauty, unless he 
too were sketching from nature and were familiar with 
the original. 

But the diflSculty grows. IN^ot only have we a second 
gospel, but also a third, quite unlike the first and second 
— a gospel which recounts with greater minuteness the 
events attending Christ's birth and childhood; which 
adds parables of thrilling interest and beauty; which 
describes the incidents of an extended journey, scarcely 
2 



14 The Bible the only Standard. 

noticed by the others ; which shows thPtt Jesus looked 
beyond the people of Israel and took pity on the 
gentiles; which traces his lineage back to Adam, and 
represents him as Savionr of the world. But the char- 
acter is still the same. The stream of life has become a 
little fuller, and it seems to flow into regions not men- 
tioned before ; but it is just as pure and deep, powerful 
and refreshing as ever. To pronounce it an imaginary 
life is to charge the record with falsehood, and yet 
believe it a miracle of skill : it is to charge the author of 
a marvelous work with repudiating the same, and prov- 
ing himself to be at once a liar and a fool. 

This, however, is not the end : there is a fourth gospel, 
diverse exceedingly from all the rest. It illustrates the life 
of Christ by new scenes, miracles, discourses. It omits 
all the parables and a large part of the events recorded 
by the first three. It dwells on the ministry of Christ in 
Jerusalem, and passes lightly over his labors in Galilee. 
It takes back our thoughts into eternity, and reminds us 
of the glory which he had with the Father before the 
world was. It repeats the clearest words of the great 
Teacher respecting his own mysterious nature. It leads 
us up by a spiral ascent higher and higher, bringing us 
round to the same view again and again, bat always from 
a loftier position, until we seem almost in heaven itself. 
Yet, I need but remind you, the character delineated is 
still the same. We hear no discordant word ; we detect 
no incompatible element ; we see no unfamiliar feature. 
The halo round his brow ma}^ be more intense ; but that 
is all ; the veil which covers his face may be raised a 
little higher, but nothing more. 

I will not pursue this examination. ^'It has been 
often and truly said that the character of our Lord, as 
drawn by the evangelists, is in itself the one sufficient 
proof of their veracity. No character could have been 



The Bible the only Standard. 15 

further remoYed from the popular ideal of the time; 
none more entirely be3^ond the conception of men reared 
amidst dreams, of national hope, and checked at every 
step by the signs of foreign power." The harmony in 
diversity which pervades the gospels is so remarkable as 
in itself to prove their veracity. The fourfold portrait 
of this ''greater man," must have been taken from life; 
and if so, the limners of it were simply faithful, while 
the subject of it was the true Word of God manifested 
in flesh. The life which they describe was real. The 
person whom the}^ place before our minds once w^alked 
in Galilee and suffered death a;t Jerusalem. The story 
is so simple and sublime, so artless and consistent, so 
human and withal so divine, that no man could have 
invented it ; much less could four men, each in his own 
way, have delineated so peerless an ideal. And more ; 
I must even deny that four men, though personally 
witnesses of what they relate, could, if left to them- 
selves, have given us these wondrous pictures of that 
wondrous life. They would have been sure at some 
point to mar their work. They would have been tempted 
here and there, to explain, apologize, speculate, or eulo- 
gize. But no, all is direct, simple, open, fair. The 
historians do not speculate. '' In its grand, childlike, and 
holy simplicity, the narrative passes by questions of the 
mere intellect, just as a child moves among the riddles 
of nature and of life, as if they existed not." And if 
the gospels are truthful records, the being whose min- 
istry they describe was infallible. I say infallible ; for 
consider his claims, how high they were: — to know 
heavenly things directly: ''I speak that which I have 
seen with my Father;" — ^to know the Father exclusively: 
''Neither knoweth any one the Father, save the Son ;" 
to speak the Father's words only: "The word which 3^e 
hear is not mine, but the Father's ;" to teach immutable 



1 6 The Bible the only Standard. 

truth : '' Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words 
shall not pass away ;'' and to utter sayings the rejection 
of which is fatal: ^'E^^ery one that heareth these say- 
ings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened to a 
man which built his house upon the sand ; and the rain 
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and 
beat upon that house, and it fell;" '^ The word that I 
have spoken, the same shall judge him at the last day.'' 
With what certainty and authority did Jesus speak ! 
not groping darkly after truth, and uttering it doubt- 
fully with reason ; but seeing it with perfect vision and 
declaring it positively, as a king. '' We speak that we 
do know, and testify that we have seen." Plato taught 
like a man, with subtle reason and sore toil, worming 
his way through darkness up to partial light, watching 
the shadows of the cave, and conjecturing what might 
be the life above ; but Jesus taught like a God, standing 
in the face of the sun, and holding in his eye all the 
infinite verities of being, forever ! He was king of the 
realm of truth. 

Hence, too, the impression which he made on his dis- 
ciples. They believed him to be cognizant of their very 
thoughts. One of them testifies that he could not be 
taken at unawares ; that he needed not that any should 
testify of man, for he knew what was in man. He read 
the secrets of the heart as easily as we read the pages 
of a book. His eye pierced the veil which hides the 
future, and he foretold such events as the betrayal, the 
desertion, the denial, the crucifixion, the resurrection. 
He was full of grace and truth. He was the light of 
men. His teaching was not merely true, it was by way 
of eminence the truth ; as such his disciples preached it 
to the Koman world in the first centur}^, and such, I may 
add, it has proved itself to be by its infl uence on the 



The Bible the only Standard. 17 

souls of men from that day until now. This is the first 
point in my argument. 

But was the promise of my text uttered by Christ to 
his disciples ? May not the gospels be true for the most 
part, with here and there an error? This is certainly 
conceivable, and indeed probable, unless the evangeiists 
were divinely assisted in their work. But we have 
already seen that the perfection of this work, the har- 
mony in diversity which distinguishes the four-fold 
gospel, is a reason for believing them to have been thus 
assisted. Apart, however, from this presumption, it is 
scarcely possible to doubt the accuracy of John's record 
in the present case. For when we think of the nature of 
the promise before us ; of the hour when it is said to 
have fallen from the lips of Christ ; of the profound 
interest which an assurance of this kind would kindle in 
the hearts of the disciples ; and of the effort which they 
would surely make to recall the last words of their now 
glorified Master ; it seems ver}- improbable that a mis- 
take would occur in this matter. And when, still further, 
we bear in mind that this passage does not stand alone, 
but is buttressed on everj^ side by kindred promises; 
when we read the words : ' ' It is expedient for you that 
I go away ; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not 
come unto you ; but if I depart, I will send him unto 
you;" and a little further on : '* I have 3^et many things 
to say unto you, but 3^e cannot bear them now. How- 
beit, when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide 
you into all the truth : for he shall not speak of himself ; 
but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak : and 
he will show you things to come. He shall giorif}^ me ; 
for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." 
Or, going back a little in the same discourse : '' When the 
Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the 
Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from 
2* 



1 8 The Bible the only Standard. 

the Father, he shall testify of me ;" and again : '^ But 
the Comforter, the Hol}^' Ghost, whom the Father will 
send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring 
all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said 
unto you.'' When we read these various promises, all 
referring to the same Divine Helper, and describing the 
different aspects of his work for the disciples, there is 
no longer any room for doubt. The assurance of my 
text was given to the Eleven by their Lord in the even- 
ing before he was betrayed. But long ere this, he had 
uttered words of encouragement to them, not very unlike 
those contained in his last discourse. For by the triple 
testimony of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we are certified 
of his sajdng: ''When they bring you unto the sjaia- 
gogues and magistrates and powers, take no thought 
how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say ; 
for the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour 
what ye ought to say.'' There is, then, every reason to 
believe that the promise of my text was addressed by 
Christ to his disciples. 

And there is no less reason to believe that this lan- 
guage was a promise of inspiration, properly so called. 
For observe once more that the coming Helper is de- 
scribed as the Spirit of truth ; that he was to take the 
place of Christ, and teach them many things which they 
were not now able to bear ; that he was to bring to their 
remembrance all that Christ had said ; to testify of 
Christ ; to take the things of Christ and show to them ; 
to reveal to them things to come and teach them all 
things. Li a word, Jesus j)romised to continue and 
complete the revelation of his truth to his disciples by 
the agency of the Holy Spirit. 

Bat wherefore ? Because they were to bear witness of 
liim, making known his will, even as he had made known 



The Bible the only Standard. 19 

his Father's will : ^^ As the Father hath sent me, even so 
send I you.'' 

And if the Spirit of truth was pledged to the Eleven 
for the purpose of qualifying them to teach with divine 
authority the things of Christ, he was virtuallj^ pledged 
to every one intrusted by Christ with the same office 
and mission. Hence Paul, when called to be an apostle, 
was entitled to expect the presence of the Spirit to guide 
him into all the truth. And that he was put in trust 
with the apostleship must be certain to every man who 
admits his veracity or understands his character ; for he 
distinctly avers that he was recognized by the other 
apostles as their equal, that the signs of an apostle 
were wrought by him ; and that he had received imme- 
diately from Christ his gospel and commission. More- 
over, Peter ranks his letters with the other Scriptures, 
while the narrative of Luke, in the Acts, proves him to 
have been not a whit behind the very chiefest of the 
apostles in knowledge and zeal. 

My second point has, therefore, been established, and 
its bearing upon the divine authority of the New Testa- 
ment is obvious. 

But were the apostles upright men ? Though fur- 
nished themselves with the whole truth, may they not 
have been unfaithful to their trust, withholding a part of 
their message or adding to it cunningly devised fables ? 
How to answer this question I know not. God forbid, 
that we should distrust the integrity of men chosen by 
Christ to make known his will! God forbid, that we 
should imagine the truth-revealing Spirit unable to move 
such men to utter their message, or to restrain them 
from adding to it earth-born fancies ! God forbid, that 
we should read the pages of the ]S"ew Testament and 
doubt the transparent integrity of their writers ! The 
very soul of manliness and truth animates their Ian- 



20 The Bible the only Standard. 

guage. In life, they were still imperfect ; but when they 
spoke for Christ, the Spirit gave them utterance. As 
men, they were sometimes weak ; bnt in doing the work 
of their apostleship, the Comforter made them strong 
and wise. I cannot persuade myself that any one 
of you needs to he convinced that the apostles were, 
through and through, upright, delivering to men with 
all fidelity the glad news which had been revealed to 
them by Christ and his Spirit. They could not but 
speak the things which they had seen and heard. We 
are, therefore, in possession of three facts ; namel}^, that 
Jesus Christ was infallible, that he uttered the promise 
of my text to his disciples, and that they were upright 
men, teaching the truth which they knew. 

These facts, if there were no others equally in point, 
(as there are many,) evince the divine authority of the 
New Testament. For, with a few excei^tions, the ISTew 
Testament Scriptures were written by apostles, that is, 
by men whom the Holy Spirit was to guide into all 
Christian truth. And the exceptional books were written 
by associates of apostles, long before the death of John, 
and, according to the testimony of the early church, 
were received as apostolic teaching. The penmen were 
probably inspired, and their writings were certainly wel- 
comed as sacred. Indeed, these three facts are firm 
granitic pillars, on which the whole doctrine of inspira- 
tion rests unshaken, and will rest to the end of time. 
For if the writings of the New Covenant are clothed 
with divine authority, so likewise are those of the Old. 
The later Scriptures have set their seal to the earlier. 
By their testimony, we know that in the progress of 
revelation, ''coming events cast their shadows before.'' 
The reality is preceded by the type, the spiritual by the 
natural, the fulfillment by the promise ; just as the most 
holy place of the tabernacle was entered through the holy 



The Bible the only Standard. 21 

Our Saviour taught that not one jot or tittle of the law 
should pass till all be fulfilled; he declared that the 
Scripture (meaning the Old Testam'ent) cannot be broken ; 
and on a certain occasion, ''be^innins; with Moses and 
all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the 
Scriptures the things concerning himself." Peter pro- 
nounces the wonders of Pentecost to be that which was 
spoken by the prophet Joel, and the suffering of Christ 
to be that which God had showed before by the mouth 
of all his prophets, asserting also that holy men of old 
spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. And 
Paul identifies the promise to Abraham with the gospel, 
represents the law as a schoolmaster bringing us to 
Christ, and teaches that every Scripture (that is, of the 
Old Testament) is given by inspiration of God, and is 
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 
instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may 
be perfect, thoroughlj^ furnished unto all good works. 

Besides, the pages of the Xew Testament are studded 
with passages from the Old. Sentences are quoted with 
reverence from the first chapter of Genesis to the last 
chapter of Malachi, few books of the earlier record failing 
to contribute somewhat to the later; and nothing can 
well be more evident than the fact that Christ and his 
apostles admitted the divine authority of the Old Testa- 
ment. The whole Bible is, therefore, to be accepted as 
emanating from God. It was delivered to men by mes- 
sengers accredited by him, and is to be honored with the 
same respect which it would challenge if written by the 
finger of Jehovah. It is the word of God addressed to 
mankind. 

This language, I know, has been charged with extrava- 
gance. The Bible, it has been said, is not the word of 
God, but it contains the word of God. The contents of 
it must, therefore, be sifted, winnowed, weighed: the 



22 The Bible the only Standard. 

dross separated from the fine gold, the human from the 
divine^ the letter from the spirit. Keason and moral 
sense must be the ultimate standard. By a proper use 
of these faculties we ma^^ be able to find in the Scriptures 
the word of God. 

If this language were meant simply to affirm that we 
ought, when interpreting the words of Scripture, to dis- 
tinguish between those which profess to make known to 
us directly the will of God, as uttered by Christ, by 
apostles, or by prophets, and those which make known 
to us the sayings and doings of evil spirits, of wicked 
or uninspired men, it would be quite true, but also quite 
irrelevant. For much of the Bible professes to report 
the speech and action of uninspired men, and no thought- 
ful Christian imagines the w^ords of such men to be 
truthful simply because they are preserved in a true re- 
cord. All admit that a sentiment may be wrong when 
the report of it is correct, and an act evil when the ac- 
count of it is useful. 

But this is not the whole meaning of those who insist 
that the Bible merely contains the word of God. They 
suppose it possible for human reason to winnow chaff 
from the wheat, eA'en where the volume purports to have 
nothing but wheat. In this opinion they are utterly 
mistaken, as the light of another day will help them to 
see. 

Having shown that the promise of the Saviour, in my 
text, involves the divine authority of the Bible as a source 
of Christian truth, I now proceed to say — 

II. It involves the completeness of the Bible, as a 
source of Christian truth. This is evident — 

1. From the words of the promise itself: '' he will guide 
you into all the truth.'^ According to the obvious sense 
of this promise, the apostles were to be guided into all 
the truth which belongs to the religion of Christ as 



The Bible the only Standard. 23 

adapted to Inen in their present state. The language 
cannot fairly be made to signify less than this. For when 
Christ and his apostles speak of the truth by way of dis- 
tinction, they mean the doctrine of salvation through 
Christ, the great facts and principles which underlie, 
determine, and pervade all right forms of Christian life. 
It need not be supposed that they were to become familiar 
with all the applications of Christian truth to the ever 
changing conditions of human society, but they were to 
be made acquainted with all the principles of this truth ; 
not, however, at once, as may be concluded from the verb 
chosen by our Lord — '' He will guide you into all the 
truth," — and as may be learned ffom the history of the 
apostles ; but gradually, though rapidly, as events called 
for the use of those principles. The Holy Spirit was to 
teach them what to say when standing before kings and 
governors, and not in anticipation of such an hour ; and 
so, likewise, he was to teach them the way of God more 
perfectly as they had occasion to make it known. Peter 
did not have his vision of the sheet let down from heaven 
until Cornelius was ready for the gospel, and the fullness 
of the time had come for giving it to the Gentiles. It is 
not, therefore, possible for us to fix precisely the date 
prior to which the apostles had been guided into all the 
truth of the Christian system ; nor can we certainly know 
from our text that every apostle was furnished by in- 
spiration with the same amount of truth. This principle 
may have been communicated to one, and that to another, 
until as a body they were in possession of the whole 
truth. We only know that Paul had his gospel in its 
completeness directly from Christ. The remaining apos- 
tles may have learned particular truths from one another, 
some of them receiving the light earlier than their asso- 
ciates ; but all received it as rapidly as the calls of duty 
required them to use it. 



24 The Bible the only Standard. 

And this circumstance, that their knowledge came so 
often at the beck of Providence, not being a regular 
growth from within, but a gift from without when most 
needed, justifies us in believing that it was fully declared 
to others, and committed to writing for ages to come. 
While, then, the promise of my text proves the apostles 
to have been made acquainted with all the truth of the 
Christian system adapted to men in their present life, 
the manner in which this promise was fulfilled, by en- 
larging and clearing their views from time to time, as the 
exigencies of their mission demanded — ^bringing to their 
remembrance the words of Christ, unfolding the true 
import of those words, lifting the vail which hides the 
future and permitting some of its scenes to pass before 
them, or directing them in the application of principles 
to the shifting afi'airs of church, of state, of family — all 
this tends to prove that they had knowledge given them, 
not to hoard but to use, the Spirit ever whispering in 
their ears, ^^ freely ye have received, freely give.'^ 

A confirmation of this view, viz., that my text involves 
the completeness of the Bible as a source of Christian 
truth, may be drawn— 

2. From the position and work given to the apostles in 
the church. In his response to the noble confession of 
Peter, " Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," 
Jesus said: '^Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona; for flesh 
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father 
who is in heaven. And I say unto thee also. Thou art 
Peter, and on this rock will I build my church ; and the 
gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will 
give to thee the kej^s of the kingdom of heaven ; and 
whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in 
heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall 
be loosed in heaven." Here, as you will be careful to 
observe, Christ first traces the knowledge of Peter to a 



The Bible the only Standard. 25 

divine source, first recognizes him as speaking with the 
voice of inspiration : '^ flesh and blood hath not revealed 
it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven ;'^ and then, 
in view of his clear confession of the fundamental truth, 
thus revealed to him, pronounces him a rock on which 
the church was to be built. It was not Peter as a man 
distinguished for firmness and faith, but Peter as an in- 
spired confessor and teacher of truth, who was to be the 
rock on which the spiritual body of Christ should rest 
securely. In just this character, is he addressed by our 
Saviour; and in just the opposite character, viz., as a 
denier of his Master's word, is he shortly after denomi- 
nated Satan. Whether he speaks in our passage for the 
twelve, to all of whom the same great truth had been re- 
vealed, or simply for himself, cannot be certainly known ; 
but we do know from other parts of the ISTew Testament 
that his relation to the church was not peculiar. For 
Paul writes to the Ephesians : ''Kow, therefore, ye are 
no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with 
the saints and of the household of God ; and are built 
upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus 
Christ himself being the chief corner-stone ;" and John 
declares in the Kevelation, that " the wall of the city had 
twelve foundations, and in them the name of the twelve 
apostles of the Lamb." Hence the church was built 
upon the rock Peter, in the same sense as it was built 
upon the rock Paul, or the rock John. As inspired 
teachers, all the apostles spoke with the authority of their 
, Master ; and there is not a particle of evidence for the 
opinion that, after Christ's ascension, Peter was in any 
special sense his vicar, exercising authority over the 
other apostles and the church universal ; nor is there a 
particle of evidence for the opinion, that he either did or 
could transfer his supposed authority to other hands. 
3 



26 The Bible the only Standard. 

The scriptural argument for the papacy is a rope of 
sand. 

Keturning to the words of Jesus in his response to 
Peter, we observe that he exchanges one figure of speech 
for another, proceeding thus : ''And I will give unto thee 
the l^eys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou 
shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what- 
soever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in 
heaven. '^ With this language, it is natural to compare 
the words which Christ addressed to all the apostles, 
after prescribing the method of discipline for private 
offences: ''Yerily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall 
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever 
ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.'' 
Hence the apostles were to be the foundation stones of 
the Lord's house, and yet stewards over the same ; they 
were to settle with divine authority the fundamental 
principles of our religion, and were also to carry into 
effect proper rules of admission to the church, and 
exclusion from it ; in a word, to look after order and 
discipline ; and their action in this respect was to be 
ratified on high. Of similar import, were the Saviour's 
words when he first met the collected disciples in a 
closed room after his resurrection : " Peace be unto you. 
As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. Re- 
ceive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose soever sins ye remit, 
they are remitted unto them ; and whose soever you 
retain, they are retained." Thus apostolic teaching, 
whether of Cliristian doctrine or duty, was to be sanc- 
tioned by the Master as his own. In their official action 
they were representatives of Christ. Tarrying in Jeru- 
salem, and continuing with one accord in prayer until 
they were endued with power from on high, they then 
entered at once upon their great work of bearing witness 
for Christ, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in 



The Bible the only Standard. 27 

Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth ; and 
no fact in the past is more certain than this, that their 
teaching was delivered, and was accepted as ultimate 
authority on all matters of Christian faith and practice. 
Their testimony was the truth. Their doctrine vfas the 
word of God. Their directions, even as to order and 
decorum in social worship, were the commandments of 
the Lord, and those who could speak Y/ith tongues and 
prophecy were to obey them. They testified of Christ, 
expounded the meaning of his work, promulgated the 
laws of his kingdom, and completed the revelation which 
he began. Their office and relation to the church were 
peculiar, based upon supernatural endowments. They 
were witnesses to the fact of Christ's resurrection ; and 
the Holy Spirit ratified their testimony, with signs fol- 
lowing. They were inspired teachers, having a plenitude 
of spiritual gifts. They could recall the past, speak 
with tongues, prophecy, interpret. They vrere related to 
all future believers, as foundation-stones to the structure 
which is built upon them, or as stewards of a house, 
charged with deciding who may enter and who must 
leave it, to the household itself, to its order, discipline, 
life, and character. By the laying on of their hands, 
other Christians obtained special gifts. They had no 
peers. Their knowledge of all the truth makes it very 
probable, and their relation to all the church makes it 
almost certain, that they put this truth on record for the 
benefit of Christians to the end of time. 

Having inferred, from the knowledge and office prom- 
ised to the apostles, that the record of Christian truth 
as left by them was complete, I may likewise infer the 
same : — 

3. From the actual contents of the Bible. Let us look 
at these by way of contrast. The most self-reliant phi- 
losophy of to-day has only the following to offer as reli- 



28 The Bible the only Standard. 

gious truth, viz. : That God is simply an idea, or that 
he is the universe, or that he is the unknown antecedent 
of an original fire-mist, out of which all things have 
been evolved ; that man, emerging from darkness and sink- 
ing again into darkness, is the crowning effort of nature 
hitherto; and that the future is big with possibilities 
of hio'her life for other orders of beino;. This is the sum. 
Of sin, of providence, of pardon, of eternal life for you 
and me, it has nothing to say. jSTor should it have ; for 
an attempt to evoke the verities of religion from an irre- 
ligious mind by process of logic, is like ^' sinking broken 
buckets into empty wells, and growing old in drawing 
nothing up." Yet a philo-sopher of this school is com- 
monly satisfied with himself, thinking that he possesses 
at least "the rudiments of omniscience. '^ Alas 1 in the 
realm of spiritual, supernatural truth, he is, indeed, blind 
and ignorant, knowing nothing ; as the poet has said, 

^' One to whoso smooth-rubbed soul can cling 
Nor form, nor feeling, great or small, 
A reasoning, self-sufficing thing, 
An intellectual all-in-all." 

But the Scriptures, written by men who spake as they 
were moved by the Holy Ghost, have enough to teach. 
They are filled with religious truth, drawn from the wells 
of salvation. They speak to us of God, afiSrming that 
he is a spirit, self-existent, eternal, omnipresent ; that he 
is living, active, personal ; that he is all-wise, all-holy, 
all-good. They testify of his creative power and exact 
providence, of his fatherly care and spontaneous grace. 
They set before us Jesus Christ, the image of the invis- 
ible God, to the end that by contemplating his character 
. — his power, purity, love, and purpose — we may know 
the character of God. What more can be done ? How 
can the Most High be brought nearer to human thought 
and feeling ? 



The Bible the only Standard. 29 

They speak to 11 s of man, affirming that he was made 
in the image of God and under law to right ; that he fell 
into sin, and drew upon his soul the wrath of Jehovah, 
with floods of darkness and woe; that he communicated 
to his offspring a depraved nature, so that they go astray 
from birth ; and that, left to itself, the whole race would 
rush with stubborn will away from the Father of lights 
into the outer darkness. Is not this enough? Does it 
not explain the history of mankind and evince the need 
of divine grace ? 

They speak to us of redemption, affirming that God 
was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself; for 
God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten 
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish 
but have everlasting life. They testify that Christ is the 
way, the truth, and the life ; and that no man cometh unto 
the Father but by him. Their language is clear, direct, 
positive. It exhausts the subject ; declaring, on the one 
hand, that Christ is able and willing to save to the utter- 
most all that come unto God by him, and on the other 
hand, that there is salvation in no other, for by one 
offering he has perfected forever all them that are 
sanctified. 

Thc}^ speak to us of the new birth ; of repentance, 
faith, and love ; of their nature, origin, fruits, and value. 
They tell us what we may be and do, what we may suffer 
and enjoy, in fellowship with Christ. They describe to us 
the work of faith and labor of love and patience of hope, 
by which the grace of God makes us meet for an inheri- 
tance with the saints in light. The ethics of the Bible 
are perfect. '^ What we call the moral progress of the 
ages is simply their retrogression toward the evangelic 
standard." And so it will be to the end. The stream 
will never reach a higher point than its source ; the last 
generation of believers on earth will gladly sit at the feet 
3* 



30 The Bible the only Standard. 

of Paul and John, receiving by the aid of divine grace 
perennial snpplies from the f alines s of truth which was 
revealed to them. 

They speak to as of the church, prescribing qualifica- 
tions for membership, deaconship, and eldership, with 
rules of discipline for offenses, both public and ]3rivate. 
They set before us the rites and worship, the lofty aims 
and sad mistakes, of churches under apostolic guidance. 
The}^ cast a jet of light upon every important question ; 
and what they have left in darkness may well remain so, 
until we see as we are seen and know as we are known. 

They speak to us of the future, sketching in bold out- 
line the onward flow of events until time shall be no 
longer — the conflict between good and evil, truth and 
error, light and darkness, waxing fiercer and fiercer, un- 
til the Son of man shall come in his glory and separate 
the wicked from the just. 

And more, they give us glimpses of the '' undiscovered 
country ;" they permit us to hear faint echoes of the 
eternal song ; they take us up, on ladders of imagery, to 
the gate of heaven and suffer us to look upon its outer 
glory. 

This is enough for the present life ; and the voice of 
Jesus declares : '^ If any man shall add unto these things, 
God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in 
this book. And if any man shall take away from the 
words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away 
his part out of the book of life and out of the holy city." 

Meagre, indeed, and most unsatisfactory is the sketch 
which I have given of what the Scriptures teach. But 
time will not permit me to dwell upon the inexhaustible 
theme. The Sacred Record is a vast temple, which can- 
not be explored in a life, with places holy and most holy, 
with pillars and arches, with galleries and domes, reach- 
ing further and rising higher than human thought has 



The Bible the only Standard. 31 

yet been able to follow; while every stone and pillar, 
every wall and ceiling, every door and arch, every altar 
and window, every statue and fresco, is conceived by in- 
finite wisdom and executed with matchless skill. Every 
part of it is precious and significant to him who has en- 
tered its holy courts. " Standing without, you may see 
no glory, but standing within, every ray of light reveals 
a harmony of unspeakable splendors.'' I envy not the 
man who dares to remove one stone, or add one fresco to 
this grand cathedral. I honor not the church which en- 
larges it by wooden courts and painted statues. Let it 
stand as the inspired workmen built it ! Mar not its 
proportions, murmur not at its height, despise not its 
age ; but enter and worship — not the temple, but the God 
of the temple — and you will find it radiant with spiritual 
light and vocal with the music of Paradise. 

Again, the completeness of the Bible as a source of 
Christian truth may be inferred — 

4. From the failure, thus far, of all attempts to make 
any worthy additions to its teaching. There has been 
no lack of enterprise in this direction. Many of the 
Jews imagined the written law to be incomplete, and de- 
sired to supplement it with further rites and ceremonies : 
hence the Mishna, or Second Law, handed down by tra- 
dition, and placed by them on a level with the Pentateuch. 
Hence, too, the Scribes and Pharisees took it upon them- 
selves to reprove Jesus for doing mii'acles on the 
Sabbath, and for permitting his disciples to eat with un- 
washen hands. '^ It is not lawful for thee to heal on the 
Sabbath." '^ Why do thy disciples transgress the tradi- 
tion of the elders ?" But Christ replied: ''Why do ye 
also transgress the commandment of God by your tradi- 
tion ?" '' Full well do je frustrate the commandment of 
God, that ye may keep your tradition." ''Well hath 
Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites -: This people honor 



32 The Bible the only Standard. 

etli me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 
Howbeit, in vain do they worship me teaching for doc- 
trines the commandments of men.'^ Such was the view 
which our Saviour took of the oral law as compared with 
the w^ritten, of tradition as compared with Scripture. 
The one was human, the other was divine. 

But the additions made to the written law by Jewish 
teachers, on the basis of alleged tradition, were not very 
unlike those which have been made, by ecclesiastical 
authority, on the basis of alleged tradition, to the doc- 
trines and duties taught by the New Testament. In 
neither case, do their tendency and spirit agree with the 
word of God. They lack its simplicit}^ and spirituality. 
They exalt the efficac}^ of rites and forms, of priestly 
mediation and sanctimonious endeavor. They interpose 
many things besides the blood of Christ between the soul 
and God. The church, the sacraments, the Yirgin Mary, 
the saints, are too much extolled, while Christ and his 
word are too much neglected. 

Passing through an open way in the city of Home, I 
read this inscription under a picture of the mother of 
Jesus: ^'Lodata semvre sia col divin Jiglio, la Virgine 
Maria del huon consiglio ;'' " Ever lauded with her divine 
Son be the Yirgin Mary of good counsel!" And this 
motto feebly expresses a sentiment which has become al- 
most universal in the papal communion. During a resi- 
dence of three months in Italy, I was in the habit of 
visiting the chu.rches on the Lord's day, at the hours of 
public worship. There were masses and genuflexions and 
crossings and chantings enough ; but only once, in all 
that time, did I hear a Koman Catholic attempt to preach ; 
and in that instance, the sermon was devoted to the 
Virgin Mary, affirming that she was born as free from 
the stains of moral evil as Christ himself, and urging the 
people to pay her devout homage. The Koman Catechisjn 



The Bible the only Standard. ^3 

teaches that ^' we should resort to the most holy Yirgin 
with pious supplication, that by her intercession she may 
secure to us sinners the favor of God and the blessings 
necessary for this, and for eternal, life. Hence we exiled 
sons of Eve ought to invoke assiduously the mother of 
mercy and advocate of believing people, and it is impious, 
execrable for any one to doubt that she has pre-eminent 
merits with God and the highest desire to assist man- 
kind.'' This doctrine of the immaculate conception and 
this duty of x)raying to the so-called mother of God, are 
specimens of what man can do by way of completing the 
standard of Christian truth. 

With them, may be naturally associated the invocation 
of saints and of angels ; a practice which betokens dis- 
trust of the infinite compassion of Christ, which overlooks 
the finite nature of created beings, and which rests upon 
extra-biblical authority alone. With them, may also be 
associated the reverence paid to images, relics, and 
sacred places ; a reverence which the Scriptures nowhere 
enjoin, and which the voice of history pronounces super- 
stitious or productive of superstition. 

Time would fail me to speak of the celibacy of the 
clergy, of the monastic orders and life, of auricular con- 
fession and penance and purgatory, and of the many 
sacraments and ceremonies which have been added by 
church authority to the simple worship described in the 
Kew Testament. ^'A Catechism of the Christian Reli- 
gion, published with the approbation of the Right Rev. 
John B. Fitzpatrick, Bishop of Boston," does not go far 
enough when it saj's that '^ the charch, to facilitate the 
conversion of Jews and Gentiles, retained some of the 
ceremonies of the Jews, and others that had been copied 
by the Gentiles from the Jews." It would have been 
more correct to say, that the Papal Church has dedicated 



34 The Bible the only Standard. 

not only temples and statues, but also ceremonies of 
heathen origin to her use. 

I should not do justice to my own sense of truth and 
propriety, were I to close this part of my discourse with- 
out saying, that the doctrine of official grace derived by 
Episcopal succession from the apostles, the doctrine of 
baptismal regeneration as taught b}^ the Liturgy, the use 
of sprinkling or pouring for baptism, and the applica- 
tion of this rite to infants, are further examples of what 
man can do by way of completing the standard of Chris- 
tian truth and duty. None of them owe their existence 
to the jplain sense of Scripture, and some of them lie at 
the root of the worst papal . errors. And so, I hesitate 
not to say, that all attempts to make worthy additions 
to biblical teaching have to this hour been failures. 

Such, then, in brief, are our reasons for believing the 
Bible to be a complete as well as a divine standard of 
faith and practice. As Baptists, we claim no monopoly 
in this doctrine, but rejoice that many Vv^ho walk not with 
us accept it heartily. Many there are who have main- . 
tained this principle with unrivaled eloquence and 
noblest reason, assigning to the Bible a position solitary 
and supreme above all other writings, be it creed or 
liturgy, whether for establishing doctrine or impressing 
it on the hearts of men. By an unconscious reception 
of extra-scriptural views, have they deviated, if at all, 
from the straight line of duty to the Master. We give 
them honor. Yet in the application of the truth before 
us, in the uniform consistency with which we have re- 
jected every opinion and practice not founded on the 
plain sense of Scripture, in the persistent care with which 
we have separated the human from the divine, and striven 
to build our churches after the apostolic model, we do, 
and must, claim a special relation to the principle set 
forth to-night ; we do, and must, believe our position to 



The Bible the only Standard. 2 5 

be in advance of that held by any other body of Chris 
tians ; we do, and must, think that God is on our side, 
and that the views which distinguish us will surely in the 
end commend themselves to the whole family of God on 
earth. Is this too much to expect ? ^ot if our princi- 
ples are drawn from the living word. Assured of their 
divine origin, it v/ould be culpable unbelief not to antici- 
pate their final success. Truth will be laurel-crowned at 
last. We may have reason to charge ourselves with in- 
ertness, we may illustrate the saying of Christ, that the 
children of this world are wiser in their generation than 
the children of light ; but the cause will not fail, the prin- 
ciples we teach will go forth conquering and to conquer, 
and gladly, after our best efforts, will we take up for 
ourselves the sacred words, ^'JSTot unto us, not unto us, 
but unto thy name give glory." 

We have no fear for the cause. The word of God will 
stand ; and those who are built upon the foundation of 
the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the 
chief-corner, as they are fitly framed together in him, will 
grow unto an holy temple in the Lord. Of this number, 
my brethren, we all hope to be found, lively stones, meet 
for the Master's use I 



II. 

•THE OBLIGATION OF THE CHURCH RESPECTING 
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. 



By henry 0. FISH, D.D., 

Pastor of First Baptist Churcli, Newark, N. J. 



*'I HAVE SET BEFORE THEE AN OPEN DOOR, AND NO MAN CAN SHUT IT: FOR THOTJ 
HAST A LITTLE STRENGTH AND HAST KEPT MY WORD, AND HAST NOT DENIED MY 

NAME. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will 

KEEP thee from THE HOUR OF TEMPTATION, WHICH SHALL COME UPON ALL THH 

WORLD." — Rev. iil. 8, 10. 

It is of the cliurcli at Philadelphia, one of the '' Seven 
Churches'' of Asia Minor, that this was said. And his- 
tory records a striking verification of the assurance here 
given. An ^^ open door" was set before this church which 
no one was able to shut. It was a door of deliverance, 
C' and consequently one of utterance," such as Paul speaks 
of,) and looks to the trials here referred to, ^'the hour of 
temptation which was to come upon all the world" — all the 
Roman world. The ten years of fierce persecution under 
Trajan is commonly held to be this period of tempta- 
tion. And it is an historic fact, that while all the other 
churches were laid waste, this one at Philadelphia was 
wonderfully kept. Its ministers were not martyred ; its 
members were not scattered. It stood like a solitary 
column amid surrounding ruins. 

But what is especially noticeable, is the reason assigned 
for this preservation of the church at Philadelphia : namely, 
its fidelity to the revealed will of Christ. ^'I have set 
before thee an open door, for thou hast a little strength, 
(thou feelest thy weakness,) and hast kept my word, aud 

(36) 



Obligation of the Church. 37 

hast not denied my name.' ^ And ''Because thou hast 
kept the word of my patience, (my word enjoining 
and succouring patience,) I will also keep thee.'' And 
this thought indicates the subject of the present dis- 
course, which is Loyalty to Christ, or the Obligation of 
the Church to maintain revealed truth. 

1. It must be maintained against the specious lib- 
eralism OF THE TIMES. 

Walking one day in [NTew York, I saw in a shop-window 
a sign reading thus : '' Liberal books for independent 
thinkers." It was a symbol of the age. Changing, as 
he does, his methods of attack, the great enemy of truth 
and righteousness does not appear, in our day, in the 
form of the unbeliefs so common in the centuries gone 
by. The cold, critical atheism of the English deists and 
French philosophers of the eighteenth century, which 
denied, outright, a revelation, and deified human Reason, 
and treated Christianity with scorn and sarcasm, is not 
now widely prevalent. IsTor have we much to fear from 
that form of infidelity which, in later years, has sought 
its support in the alleged discrepancies between the 
Bible and the natural sciences. The skepticism of to-day 
takes the garb of religion. It is respectful toward Chris- 
tianity. It afl'ects reverence for sacred things. It would 
not do to scout devotion : man needs a religion ; and so 
Satan would give him one that is better than that of the 
Bible. The Bible is not to be discarded : that were im- 
politic ; but, then, it must be received with certain allow- 
ances. Some of its parts are to be rejected as mythical, 
and others must be interpreted according to an '' enlight- 
ened understanding .^" Scripture terms are to be retained, 
but, then, they are to have their particular meaning. 
And by aff'ecting to be religious, this species of infidelity 
is spreading like a malaria. It is infecting multitudes 
who are surrounded by seemingly Christian influences. 
4 



38 Obligation of the Church. 

Our young men especially, and among them, numbers of 
the most prominent and influential, are imbibing, to a 
fearful extent, this delicious poison. It is seen in the fre- 
quent assertion that man is his own saviour; that he 
must win heaven for himself; and that (to quote from the 
papers of a popular Review) " to believe that a trust in a 
blood of atonement can cleanse a corrupt nature, and re- 
deem a lost soul, is to believe sorcery." It is seen in the 
rapidly increasing tendency to smooth down the sterner 
attributes of Deity ; to say but little, and that softly, about 
future p'caiishment ; and to form an ideal Christ, possessed 
of grace, but not of justice and holiness. It is seen in 
the swift advance of one wing of IJnitarianism into down- 
right infidelity, and the institution of a " Broad Church,'' 
where Swedenborgians, Unitarians, Universalists, Friends, 
and Independents — all sorts of beliefs and unbeliefs, may 
thrive in amicable neighborhood in one inclosure. It is 
seen in the general loosening up of the common mind 
from the moorings of great Scripture truths, and its readi- 
ness to adopt the vagaries of spiritism, and mesmerism, 
and whatever isms and ologies may chance to present 
themselves. It is seen in the war against a sound divin- 
ity, that is urged on under the outcry against " merciless 
dogmas," and ^' straight-laced creeds," and " dead formu- 
laries," and ^^ shams," and ^'joriestcraft," and 'intoler- 
ance" in religion ; and in the disposition among the 
churches to think lightly of the great doctrines of the 
Bible, and of carefully defined systems, if not to cast 
away entirely all articles of faith ; and also, in the readi- 
ness of some to disregard the divinely established rela- 
tion between the ordinances. 

What is styled the liberty of the church, comes from 
the same spirit. Says a distinguished , Congregational 
divine,* in a sermon recently published, '' I concede and 

** Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. 



Obligation of the Church. 35 

I assert, first, that infant baptism is nowhere commanded 
in the l^ew Testament. Secondl}^, I affirm that the cases 
where it is implied, as in the baptism of whole house- 
holds, are by no means conclusive and without doubt, 
and that, if there is no other basis for it than that, it is 
not safe to found it on the practice of the apostles in the 
baptism of Christian families. Therefore, I give up that 
which has been injudiciously used as an argument for 
infant baptism. And thirdly, I assert that the doctrine, 
that as a Christian ordinance it is a substitute for the 
circumcision of the Jews, is a doctrine that is utterly un- 
tenable, to say nothing more. If any body ask me, 
' Where is your text for baptizing children ?' 1 reply that 
there is none. And if I am asked, ' Then w^hy do you 
baptize them ?' I say, ' Because it is found to be beneficial.'^ '' 

The same liberty is claimed, of course, in respect to 
the Lord's supper. Those who are held to be unbap- 
tized, and even unconverted, (if only seeking the truth,) 
are invited to partake. The number of ministers, and 
churches, in different denominations, who assert views 
substantially like these, is not small, and is constantly 
increasing. Nor is it to be thought strange. Though 
less emphatically proclaimed, this " liberty" with the 
Scriptures has been generally assumed as allowable. 
Professor Stuart, in his work on Baptism, quoted ap- 
provingly Calvin's remark: ''It is of no consequence at 
all whether the person baptized is wholly immersed or 
merely sprinkled, although the word 'baptized signifies 
immerse, and the rite of immersion was practiced by 
the ancient church." And in the matter of Infant Bap- 
tism, he (Professor Stuart) frankly said : ^' Commands, 
or plain and certain examples, in the IS'ew Testament 
relative to it, I do not find;" adding, ''l^or, with my 
views of it, do I need them." 

All this chimes in admirably with the taking catch- 



40 Obligation of tne Church. 

words, — ^'Liberal books for independent thinkers.'^ But 
how does it suit the standard by which all opinions are 
to be tried ? How does all this tally with God's order- 
ings, and God's word? It is written: ''There is one 
Lord, one faith, one baptism." One ; not two, or three, 
or any number, and all equ^Jly correct. And particu- 
larly, there is one faith; that is, one system of belief; 
one precise set of truths and principles, ordained and 
established by God. It must be so. Had God made 
two diverse revelations, one must have been wrong. In 
accepting the one we must have rejected the other. Both 
could not be right. Plence it is a peculiarity of truth, 
that it is simple, absolute, certain ; while error is mani- 
fold and uncertain. Truth is simply the revelation of 
God's will ; and as such, it must be definite and fixed. 
It cannot change or be modified, any more than can his 
nature. It must stand perfect and entire forever. 

Truth is the most exclusive of all things. It is a 
tower of adamant. It jdelds not an inch. It concedes 
nothing. ''Truth, sir," said Henry Clay, "makes no 
compromises ?" Hence any alleged doctrine of Scrip- 
ture, which is not exclusive, is no doctrine; it knows 
nothing, affirms nothing. It is a weak device of Satan. 
God did not put it in the Bible. What he put there is 
flint. It is diamond, with sharp angles, cutting every 
thing, cut by nothing. It shuts out everj^ thing else, 
and says, "I am from God! I am right, and all besides 
is wrong !" From its very nature it must be so. 

And, then, let it be remembered that God has a right 
to say what shall be. He sits supreme. Man, his work- 
manship, and his care, is subject to his dictation and 
control. He is to have no will and no way of his own. 
One thing is demanded, that he bow to his sovereign 
behest. God's government is not a republican govern- 
ment. And for that very reason earthly governments 



Obligation of the Church. 41 

ouglit to he republican. If he be Head Supreme, there 
ought to be no other pretended head supreme. God's 
government is an absolute monarchy, and for that reason 
no man can be an absolute monarch. Both in the world 
and in the church, '' there is one law-giver.'' God is over 
all. Every necessary foundation truth he has estab- 
lished, either as respects the world or the church. Men 
have but to execute what he has ordained. Law-making, 
then, so far as it infringes upon great cardinal principles, 
on the part of man, is a wicked presumption. The reve- 
lation of man or ang-el is no revelation. If God has 
instituted certain relations between me and my fellow, 
and laid on us certain obligations, who shall change 
them ? If, in things spiritual, he has said, upon such 
conditions man shall die, and upon such he shall live ; 
and if, in his churches, he has established his laws and 
ordinances, what have men to do in modifying or annul- 
ling them ? That is not their business ; if they make 
any new laws, then they are to be regarded as no laws. 
Setting up their appointments in opposition to God's is 
disloyalty. Liberalism is therefore atheism. It is cast- 
ing off God's yoke. '^ Liberal" books and teachings, 
untying what God has bound together, and divulging 
new principles, are insurrective, mutinous, seditious. 
They are the highest insult to God, especially when they 
come into the domain of religion. There is one faith — 
one system of truths. Any other faith is no faith. It 
is God's prerogative to make a creed for man. And all 
his '' independent thinking" w^ill not change one of the 
great facts and principles which he has established. 

Was not this so regarded at the first ? Standing at the 
early times, one is struck with the fact that the revealed 
religion v/as altogether positive and uncompromising. 
It w^as forbidden to Judaism, under the most fearful 
penalties, to affiliate with the false theologies of the sur- 
4* 



42 Obligation of the Church. 

rounding nations. And when, in the new era, Christian- 
ity went forth on its sublime career, how did it refuse to 
symbolize with paganism ! How high and exclusive its 
demands ! — not willhig to give and to take, for the sake 
of adjustment, but claiming and demanding unlimited 
control. Paganism would have gladly voted for Christ 
a seat with the other gods on Olympus, and for his reli- 
gion a place in the Pantheon among the other religions 
of the day ; but Christianity said, '^ No !" It spurned the 
proffer, and gave battle to every opposing system, and 
demanded exclusive headship for Christ — his complete 
enthronement as God over all. 

And then, looking into. the Scriptures, how positively 
and sharply defined is the truth, as laid down by Christ 
and his apostles. As to the way of salvation, we read, 
^'1 am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh 
to the Father but by me.'' '' He that belie veth not shall 
be damned." ^'If any man love not the Lord Jesus 
Christ, let him be anathema." And as regards taking 
liberties with the divine ordinances, and virtually oi 
formally modifying the exact written record, we read, 
^' Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have 
commanded you ;" and " if any man shall add unto these 
things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are 
written in this book. And if any man shall take away 
from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall 
take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the 
holy city, and from the things which are written in this 
book." 

Even the amiable and beloved John speaks in language 
the most polemic and intolerant, as men w^ould term it, 
for he says, we are not even to countenance the bearer of 
strange doctrines: ''If there come any unto you, and 
bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your houses, 
neither bid him God speed." And the bold denuncia- 



Obligation of the Church. 43 

tion of Paul was : '^ Though we, or an angel from heaven, 
preach any other gospel unto 3"ou than that we have 
preached unto you, let him be accursed." And, as if to 
render it more emphatic, he repeats it: ''As we said be- 
fore, so say I now again : If any man preach any other 
gospel unto you, let him be accursed " ! How world-wide 
all this from that spurious charitableness which would 
condemn nobody as wrong ; wdiich is so careful about 
other's feelings as never to say they are in an error ; 
w^hich makes one hesitate to sa}^, ''I knoAY I am right,'' 
and which covers his own timid, cautious, half-formed 
notions with the plea, '' There are good people holding all 
kinds of religious opinions !" In particular, how far re- 
moved all this from that vaunted " liberality" which makes 
one religion as good as another, only so its possessor be sin- 
cere! which honors Jesus Christ, and just as much honors 
Confucius, and Zoroaster, and Socrates, and Mohammed ! 
which respects Paul, and Peter, and James, but would 
by no means condemn Arius, and Socinus, and Emerson, 
and Brownson, and Theodore Parker, and Hosea Ballon ! 
which believes in the Bible, but would not sa}^ that the 
teachings of the Hindoo Yedas, and the Rabbinical 
writers, and of Emanuel Swedenborg are wrong ; and 
which believes that the followers of Christ will be saved, 
but will not dare to affirm that those who reject him and 
follow strange guides, will be lost ! Or which, in respect 
to the sacraments, asserts that '' an ox yoke is as strictly 
an ordinance as is baptism," as a popular divine, before 
referred to, declares. 

We have not so learned Christ. If such liberties are 
to be taken with the Scriptures ; if such laxity of inter- 
pretation is to prevail — such tampering with plain truths 
— then nothing can be settled, much less remain settled. 
We are all adrift, without compass, rudder, or chart, and 
may well despair of either ascertaining or enforcing 



44 Obligation of the Church. 

scriptural obligations. This tendency must Tbe counter- 
acted. Eveiy lover of truth should especially consider 
himself " set for the defence of the gospel," when it is 
thus in danger of depreciation. It was once a trick of 
rogues to gouge out portions of gold coin, by plowing 
into the edge, and then so filling up and galvanizing over 
the groove as to make detection almost impossible. The 
coins were still current, but sadly depreciated. Let it 
not be so of doctrines. A high duty is that, especially 
reposed in ministers, of keeping every scriptural verity 
up to its original standard ; of preserving the integrity 
of the gospel as it is understood by the people ; of having 
an eye upon those who, Joab like, profess friendship for 
sacred truth, but slyly thrust it through under the fifth 
rib. Let us '' earnestly contend for the faith once de- 
livered to the saints." Let us love the truth with such 
ardor as to be compelled to say with the excellent Dr. 
Nevins, ''I bear to error a degree of* the same hatred 
which I feel toward sin, and am determined to persecute 
the one as I do the other." 

2. The truth is to be maintained against fallacious 

SCHEMES OF CHRISTIAN UNION. 

It is unmistakable that a deeper and more fervent de- 
sire for intimate and visible union among Christians of 
difi*erent denominations exists now than in former years. 
All good men rejoice in this yearning of kindred hearts 
for closer fellowship. It is one of the favorable signs of 
the times. Let it be cultivated and cherished in every 
becoming way. But, in the meantime, it should not be 
forgotten that there may be unity in variety ; that unity 
does not of necessity suppose sameness. There is not 
identity in the works of creation ; and yet there is won- 
derful unity. There is not sameness in any of the works 
of God; but there is harmony — harmony in diversity. 
So may there be among Christians much diversity and 



Obligation of the Church. 45 

yet a real unity. A true union, therefore, already exists 
among the people of God. If Rome asks where is the 
unity of Protestantism ? we say, behold it in heart, in 
aim, and, to a happy extent, in opinion. We are all, of 
whatever name, renewed by the same Spirit ; we have 
the same hopes and fears ; we look up to the same G od 
and Father ; we trust in the same almighty Saviour ; we 
are in sympathy with the same object — the saving of 
souls, and the building up of Christ's kingdom, and 
cheerfully co-operate in promoting this object ; and upon 
many points, and those the most vital, we hold the same 
views. So that there is, after all, in Protestantism, a real 
and true unity. The great thing to be aimed at is, for 
religious denominations to live in peace, and love one 
another, despite their differences. Let them teach and 
preach fully what they believe to be truth, but let it be 
the speaking of truth in love. ''Whereunto they have 
attained, let them walk by the same rule ; let them mind 
the same thing." If half the time and energy spent by 
some in efforts to break down ecclesiastical enclosures 
which they do not like, were wisely emplo3^ed in efforts 
to awaken more real love in the several denominations 
one toward another, there would be a great gain to the 
cause of truth. 

One thing is clear : there should be no unity at the 
expense of truth. However ardently outward unity in 
the truth is to be desired, an}^ agreement, except in the 
truth, would be precarious in its nature, and at the same 
time traitorous to Christ. In such a unit}^, somebody 
must have betrayed him ; somebody has got rid of his 
conscience ; somebod}^ has sacrificed truth ; for here op- 
posites meet, and two beliefs, in some respects essentially 
hostile, are dwelling in loving embrace. Calvin, in the 
preface to one of his polemical tracts, insists that disa- 
greement may proceed without any violation of charity ; 



46 Obligation of the Church. 

and to the outcry that the unity of the church is rent in 
pieces, he makes a noble reply, which is especially worthy 
of note just now, when so much is said about ecclesias- 
tical union, and when some people seem to think that if 
all denominations would only shake hands together, and 
sit down once in a while and commune with each other, 
the millennium would have already come ! '' We acknowl- 
edge,'' says Calvin, ''no unity except in Christ, and no 
charity of which he is not the bond ; and, therefore, the 
chief point in preserving charity is to maintain faith 
sacred and entire.'' Let this be remembered : " The chief 
point in preserving charity is to maintain faith sacred 
and entire,^^ 

Such an outward unity, whose basis is the cordial 
adoption of all the teachings of Christ, every one should 
pray for ; but any other unity falsifies itself, and should 
be looked upon with distrust. I agree on this point most 
heartily with a clerg^rman of the Church of England: 
*' Erom the peace which is bought at the expense of truth, 
may the good Lord deliver us !" One particle of truth 
in God's sight is of infinite moment ; and were we to re- 
linquish it for some seeming advantage, we might almost 
expect to hear a voice from heaven, crying out, " First 
loyal, then liberal!" ''Behold to obey is better than 
sacrifice!" The command is, "First i3ure, then peace- 
able." And I protest against calling any man who in- 
flexibly holds to what he in conscience believes to be a 
truth of God's word, "a bigot," "a, sectarian," an "un* 
charitable man." Perchance he is tenacious of a great 
principle, now calumniated and assailed, but jet of vital 
moment ; and perchance, because he loves those from 
whom he differs, therefore he persists in telling them the 
truth ; for that is a sound maxim, " The greatest charity 
consists in telling the greatest amount of truth." He 
must be a very shallow thinker, or a very dishonest rea- 



Obligation of the Church. 47 

soner, wlio advocates conciliation by compromise, in the 
realm of moral truth. It looks well, but it is a specious 
deception. Its voice is the voice of Jacob, but its hands 
are the hands of Esau. 

Herein is justified our denominational position in re- 
spect to the order of God's house. While extending 
Christian fellowship to all who love our common Lord, 
church fellowship is restricted to baptized believe is. VYe 
are blamed for this ; and never was there such a pressure 
upon us to break down this ''hated enclosure" as now; 
and the plea is that there may be Christian unity. It is 
even urged that we have accomplished our mission as 
Baptists, and should merge into other denominations. 
And it is gravely asked, '' What difference is there be- 
tween us ? and what separates us except a little water?'' 
To all which and every thing like it, we answer, It is for 
the sake of the truth that we stand ivhere ive do. It is not 
that we love our respected brethren of other names less, 
but that we love the Master and the truth more. Freely 
acknowledging that they hold the cardinal points of the 
''one faith," we yet maintain that they reject the "one 
baptism," and receive instead an ordinance of man. And 
we maintain, moreover, that from their theory of infant 
church-membership, the truths which they do hold are 
held insecurely. 

Three times has the very citadel of the "one faith" 
been seized by the enemy, from his having carried, before- 
hand, the outworks which the Baptists would sacredly 
guard — from his having demolished the instituted safe- 
guard around the church — "believer's baptism." This 
was first effected in the great apostasy of the middle ages, 
which is undeniably attributable to the introduction of 
unconverted material into the church, b}' means of infant 
baptism, as it is called. Most truly is it said of Anti- 
christ, in a Waldensian writing dating back at least to 



48 Obligation of the Church. 

the year 1100: /'He (Antichrist) arrived at maturity 
when men whose hearts were set upon the world multi- 
plied in the church, and by the union of church and state, 
got the power of both into their hands.'' And then it is 
added (which explains the fact) : '^ He teaches us to bap- 
tize children into the faith," etc. Thus was the ''one 
faith " well nigh swept from the earth. It w^as effected 
a second time, subsequent to the Reformation. Luther 
and his coadjutors did not carry the reform far enough. 
They retained the error of birth-right church-membership, 
and it shortlj^ brought into the Keformed churches a flood 
of corruption, w^hich almost obliterated, on the fields of 
their grandest triumphs,, the work of those noble men. 
And to-day, what are Oncken and AYiberg and their breth- 
ren in Germany and Sweden doing, but reforming the Re- 
formation ; but recovering the citadel of truth — -justifica- 
tion by faith alone — and building up around it, for 
defence, the walls of a converted church? The third 
success of the enemy, in the way described, was in o^^r 
own !N'ew England, previous to the times of President 
Edwards and Whitefield, when evangelical piety had al- 
most died out. Dr. Joel Hawes, of Hartford, in his work 
entitled "A Tribute to the Pilgrims," attempts to account 
for this deplorable circumstance ; and mentions, as a 
chief cause, the introduction of the half-way covenant, by 
which "the children of unconverted persons (but yet of 
sober lives and owning the covenant) might be baptized." 
By this means, multitudes of unsanctified persons (yet 
desiring to bring their children to the sealing ordinances) 
came to be church members. And it soon transpired that 
these unconverted parents and their unconverted off- 
spring, all in the church together, were having things 
their own way. The preaching conformed to this state 
of things, and religion sunk into a routine of cold formal- 
ities. Says the late Dr. Archibald Alexander, of Prince- 



Obligation of the Church. 49 

ton, in his Lectures, as to the times of which I speak : 
*' It was very much a matter of course for all who had 
been baptized in infancy to be received into communion 
at the proper age, without exhibiting or possessing any 
satisfactory evidence of a change of heart. The habit 
of the preachers was to address their T)eople as though 
they were all pious, and only needed instruction and 
confirmation." As you see, the egg from which this de- 
structive viper was hatched, was the dogma of infant 
church-membership. 

Xow this dogma the Baptists strenuously oppose, and 
alwa3^s have opposed, since its existence. And their 
healthful opposition is still needful. The error in ques- 
tion is still maintained. Dr. William A. Stearns, now 
President of Amherst College, in his work on infant 
church-membership, sa^^s : " Baptized children are in the 
same inclosure with the parents, and are equally members 
of the church, long before they make any profession of 
their faith. Properly speaking, the question can never 
come up, whether they shall join the church. They be- 
long already, and a profession of religion with them is 
simply their own most hearty acknowledgment of this 
fact, and of the obligations it implies." Dr. Charles 
Hodge, in the Princeton Beview of 1858, says : '' The 
sta.tus of baptized children is not a vague or uncertain 
one, according to the doctrine of the Beformed churches. 
They are members of the church; they are professing 
Christians ; they belong presumptively to the number of 
the elect." To these high authorities, representing the 
New and the Old School Presbyterians, none others need 
be added. Xow with this old and fearful error of infant 
church-membership still retained (and there is not a de- 
nomination in Christendom free from it, except the Bap- 
tist), who will say that among our Pedobaptist brethren 
the soul and essence of the ''one faith" is held securely ? 
5 



so 



Obligation of the Church, 



Who will undertake to guarantee that a growth of fear- 
fully corrupt opinions and practices shall not again crop 
out from this 'mischievous germ ? 

From this point of observation, it is plain that we yet 
have, as Baptists, a mission. It is ours to neutralize this 
leaven, and prevent its permeating the whole lump. 
Strong, intelligent, respectable, the churches of other 
names around us nevertheless feel our influence, and are 
largely indebted to it for their existing purity and ef- 
ficiency. When, therefore, we are asked, '' What special 
mission have you as distinct from ourselves ?" we answer, 
'' To prevent your errors from again going to seed." It 
was when IJnitarianism, subsequent to the days of Ed- 
wards, had almost wholly subverted the ''Orthodox" 
church in 'New England, that from the then existing and 
strictly evangelical Baptist churches in Boston, there 
went out a redeeming influence — a revival of pure religion. 
To that influence, every denomination and church is to-day 
indebted. And if a similar service to the cause of the 
truth shall not again be required, it will be owing largely 
to the steady working of the strong conservative power 
of our churches. Here, then, is sufficient reason for 
maintaining our present denominational position. It will 
be seen that something more than " a little water" divides 
us from those whom we yet love as Christians. It is a 
diflference upon the radical question as to who shall be 
received to baptism, and acknowledged as members in 
Christ's church. We say believers — they, believers and 
their unbelieving children. We cannot walk in church 
fellowship with those who thus persist in inodeling the 
Christian church after the Hebrew commonwealth, instead 
of the pattern given in the New Testament. We mast, 
for the truth's sake, continue to protest against so grave 
an error. 

Besides, this ''little water," as it is called, carries with 



Obligation of the Church. 51 

it more than is sometimes supposed. In objecting to our 
course as to communion, Dr. H. A. Boardman of Philadel- 
phia, in his sermon on Christian union, sa3^s : " You" (Bap- 
tists) " believe that our Saviour has prescribed one form of 
baptism. We believe that he has prescribed another 
form.'' In this he falls into the mistake (common to his 
brethren on this subject) that it is a '' form of baptism'' 
for which we contend. This we deny. It is not mode, 
not form, but the thing itself. In our view, there cannot 
be scriptural baptism without immersion. 'No immersion, 
no baptism. And, surely, we could not be asked to 
commune at the table with those w^hom we consider un- 
baptized — a thing which no denomination of which I 
speak does, or has a right to do. They all alike ask for 
what the}^ believe to be baptism, before communion. This 
is all w^e do. We only ask for what w^e believe to be 
baptism — valid baptism. And we insist on this, not out 
of a sectarian spirit, but simply because it is demanded 
by Christ. It is one of his positive laws, and is not to be 
treated with indifference. We hold that we have no more 
right to dispense with baptism as preceding the commu- 
nion, or to change the relative ]3lace of the ordinance, 
than to dispense with or change the most important 
point of faith. In this sense, there are no non-essentials. 
We have no right to say, '' This command of Christ's is 
important ; that is not important." We are to conform to 
*' all righteousness," i. e., all God's righteous requirements. 
And we are tenacious as to this matter of baptism on 
other grounds. When John Hooper, more than three 
hundred 3^ears ago, was answering before young King 
Edward for refusing to wear the vestments of a bishop, 
to which office he had just been appointed, he insisted 
that these vestments were the inventions of men, and in- 
troduced into the church in its corruptest ages ; more- 
over, that they were badges of a priesthood, and that as 



52 Obligation of the Church. 

the priestliood of Aaron was done away by Christ's sacri- 
fice of himself, once for all, priestly array was now sanc- 
tioning a lie and a blasphemy. And he also insisted that 
the people did still think these vestments to have some 
magical effect, so that without them divine service was 
vain. For these reasons, he said, they ought not to be 
worn. And when Cranmer, the archbishop, replied, 
^' The vestments are respected by the clergy, and have 
descended through many generations," he insisted that 
this respect was not a sufficient warrant in religious 
matters, and that usage and tradition were not authority. 
And when it was said, ^' This is a small matter ; what 
harm can there be in a cape, a surplice, a cap, a tippet ?" 
he retorted: ''Albeit they be only dumb rags, yet they 
be written all over with mass ! mass ! They be the sym- 
bols of Antichrist ! They be the scarlet woman's livery !" 
And he cried, ''Avaunt with her badges !" And sooner 
than put them on, he took imprisonment — first, in his 
own house, then with the stern archbishop, and finally, in 
the Fleet Prison, where he lay two months in a cell ''with 
a little grated window in it, and a lone deal table with a 
bit of bread and a mug of water upon it." 

Might we not, on the same grounds, refuse to accept 
of or sanction sprinkling, and its application to children ? 
We believe and affirm that it is of Romish origin. And 
we have the authorities of the world with us. A remark- 
able testimony has recently been given by that eminent 
and learned scholar of the English Church, and Professor 
of Church History at Oxford, Dr, Stanley. It occurs in 
his History of the Eastern Church. Speaking of baptism, 
as practised in the Eastern Church, Dr. Stanley says : 
** There can be no question that the original form of bap- 
tism — the very meaning of the word — was complete im- 
mersion in deep baptismal waters; and that, for at least 
four centuries, any other form was either unknown, or 



Obligation of the Church. 53 

regarded, unless in tlie case of dangerous illness, as an 
exceptional, almost a monstrous case. To this form, the 
Eastern Church still rigidly adheres, and the most illus- 
trious and venerable portion of it, that of the Bj^zantine 
Empire, absolutel}^ repudiates and ignores any other 
mode of administration as essentially invalid." After 
making the above statement. Dr. Stanley proceeds to say 
that the Latin Church changed the mode of baptism on 
its own authority, without even attempting to plead the 
teachings of Scripture, or primitive usage ; and that 
now the only witness for the scriptural mode of baptism 
among the Romanists is the church at Milan ; and among 
Protestants, the Baptists. 

With authorities like this to sustain us, are we not justi- 
fied in affirming that sprinkling is from Rome, and in 
taking up against it the very argument of Hooper as to 
the surplice ? '^ This practice is one of the inventions of 
men, and introduced, into the church in its coiTupt ages. 
Moreover, it is in imitation of the priesthood — of a dis 
pensatlon that has passed away." And vv^e surely might 
add, that ''the people, multitudes of them, do still believe 
that it has some magical effect in it, without which all 
their services (as to the salvation of their children) are 
vain." And when it is said to us, ''But this practice is 
respected by the clergy, and has descended through many 
generations," we might answer, " This is not a sufficient 
warrant in religious matters ; and tradition is not au- 
thority." And when it is said, " This is a small matter, 
only a little water, dropped in a moment from the fingers 
upon a child's face," we might reply, "Albeit it is only a 
dumb ceremony, yet it is written all over with Rome I 
Rome ! It is a symbol of Antichrist ! It belongs to the 
scarlet woman's livery ! Avaunt with her badges !" 

And it is worth mentioning just here, that any branch 
of Protestantism, marshaling an array of battle against 
5^^ 



54 Obligation of the Church. 

Rome, can scarce expect success wliiie wearing a con- 
spicuous part of the uniform of that hated power : proofs 
of which we have seen in the controversy of some cham- 
pions of Protestantism with Romish ecclesiastics, and 
which the Romanists themselves have often admitted. 
Bishop Bailey, of Newark, New Jersey, recently said to 
a minister of a Pedobaptist denomination : " We Roman- 
ists have little to fear from you : the controversy is not 
between us and you : it is with the Baptists. There are 
but two parties in the contest, ourselves and the Bap- 
tists.^^ This was a frank confession, and we commend it 
to the consideration of those who speak evil of us. In 
assailing us, they are committing a greater mistake than 
when the Union soldiers in the late war several times 
ignorantly fired upon their own comrades. The Baptists 
are the very vanguard, the advance line, the assaulting 
column, in the fight against Rome. Yiewed in this light, 
there is no injustice like that done to the Baptists. When 
Protestants assail us, they are injuring their best friends 
and defenders. Could Rome destroy the Baptists, she 
would hold jubilee, and fix another carnival week in her 
calendar. What double injustice, then, to us and to them- 
selves, when Protestants would do us harm. 

Bat, treat us as they may, we cannot accept as scrip- 
tural a rite of man's appointment. We cannot be joarties 
to an act whereby a divine ordinance is displaced. Na- 
tions have their escutcheons, their crests, their monu- 
ments, and ensigns. Armies and navies have their 
shields and banners ; and families their badges and coats 
of arms. Their object is to express and cluster into a 
close compass some certain qualities or events, giving 
them resemblance in these devices. And we know what 
associations gather around these devices, and how 
sacredly they are regarded, and how proudly they are 
displayed. Now, baptism is a device, a badge, a coat of 



Obligation of the Church. 55 

arms, so to speak, in Christ's kingdom. It was chosen 
and appointed by Christ, to express and to cluster into 
a close compass certain truths and certain events, by 
means of resemblances — as when the washing in the pure 
water shows our inward cleansing ; or, our being buried 
in it, and rising from it, our death to sin and rising to a 
new life ; as also (and particularly) the burial and resur- 
rection of our Redeemer. And it is against the expung- 
ing of this sacred device that we protest. For this, deem 
us not ''illiberal!" Call it not ''narrow-mindedness" 
when we avow our attachment to the genuine old family 
badge ! Ask the Italians to give up their tri-colored flag, 
the long-forbidden, green, red, and white ! Urge that it 
is only a few square yards of coarse bunting, and of no 
value. You know the answer ! Then pardon our attach- 
ment to this ancient symbol, invested with associations 
which touch whatever is deep and tender in the heart. 
Demand of the Queen of Britain, or of one of her loyal 
subjects, if you may not pluck away the unicorn or the 
lion from her national escutcheon, or expunge one of the 
mottos written there. You know the answer! Then 
chide us not, if we will restrain the hand that would mar 
this device of our Sovereign's kingdom ! Ask the 
people of Massachusetts if you may not cast down her 
monument on Bunker's Hill, or go up and efface some 
of its inscriptions. You know the answer ! Then mar- 
vel not if we cry, "Hold! hold!" to those who would 
demolish. this memorial column, or wipe out its record 
of the conflicts and triumphs of our King. You would 
honor the American soldier who would sooner receive the 
sword of the invader in his bosom than exchange uni- 
forms, or see the flag of his country insulted. Honor 
our loyalty, then, who, at some sacrifices now (and more 
in the ages gone by), would save from affront this old 
significant symbol of Christian baptism, borne aloft on 



56 Obligation of the Church. 

so many a hard fought field, by men of iron nerve and 
adamantine faitli ! 

These are our reasons why we can neither give np our 
identity, nor coalesce with others in church fellowship ; 
which, it may be added, would be found to be, in the end, 
equivalent to giving up our identity, as observation and 
a sound logic would show. 

Here, then, amid whatever of opposition or miscon- 
struction or reproach, we are called upon patientl}^ to 
stand as a testimony to the truth. As we understand it, 
there is no alternative. Nor can the charge of exclusive- 
ness be brought against us. We are the excluded, not 
the excluding party. If a .business firm, or an organiza- 
tion of any kind, be rent by the introduction of new rules 
and regulations, the innovators, not those who stood by 
the old rules, are responsible for the division. So here. 
It cannot be charged that unity is broken by those who 
stand to the rule, but rather by those who depart from 
it, or come not up to it. And coming up to the rule, and 
this alone, will restore it. Unity on the basis of dis- 
pensing with the rule, instead of being a unity of subjec- 
tion to Christ, were a combination against him; an 
agreement to treat with contempt his laws. The Lord 
keep us from such unity ! Better a thousand times our 
existing Christian sects, than disloyalty to the truth ! 
And if there are consequences for a time seemingly 
calamitous, let us remember that God does not ask us to 
share with him the responsibilities of his government. 
Our duty is to obey. He will take care of the conse- 
quences. If it is his will that there ever shall exist 
an outward unity in all particulars among his people on 
earth, he will, in his own good time, indicate the methods 
of its accomplishment. 

Moreover, for our encouragement, let us remember 
that the church of Christ has always been strongest 



Obligation of the Church. . 57 

when most uncompromising. The " Broad Church'' pro- 
ject, realizing the idea of a liberal, roomy comprehen- 
siveness, endeavoring to conciliate opposition by making 
concessions, has always, and in every form, proved a 
miserable failure. Strength, impregnability, aggressive 
power — these features of the church have been seen in 
her, not when her creed has been, like the hatter's con- 
formatory, shaping and fitting itself to everybody's head; 
not when her pulpit has been ready to produce truth ''to 
order," as the clothier does his garments ; not when she 
has abated her claims and concealed her objectionable 
features, but when bold, authoritative, absolute, unyield- 
ing. It is a proposition capable of being sustained, that 
just in proportion as the church of Christ, desiring to 
enlarge her door, to increase her members, and to show 
herself generous and liberal, has endeavored to put off 
her exclusiveness, just in that proportion she has put off 
her power and lost her energy, and, in the end, her influ- 
ence. Not to go further, what an illustration of this is 
found in our own denominational history ! When young 
Eugenio Kincaid, now our veteran missionary, went to 
an old Baptist itinerant preacher to get some book to 
settle his mind upon the subject of baptism, and the 
aged man gave him one from his saddlebags, Eugenio 
thought he had made a mistake, and ventured to say, 
^' Did you not give me the wrong book, sir ? I see this 
is the New Testament." Stretching himself up at full 
length, and looking Kincaid fairly in the face, the white- 
haired patriarch sternly said: ''Young man! if you 
w^ant any better book on baptism than the Bible, don't 
come to me !" It was a representative act. We have 
been built up by the New Testament. We have grown 
because we have held it uncompromisingly. How stri- 
king the w^ords of the text, as a statement of our de- 
nominational experience ! Is it too much to believe that 



58 Obligation of the Church. 

the lYiaster had his eye upon us when he uttered them ? 
''I know thy works : behold, I have set before thee an 
open door, and no man can shut it ; for thou hast a little 
strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my 
name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of 
Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie ; 
behold, I will make them to come and worship before 
thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because 
thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep 
thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon 
all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.'' 
How has he kept us, amid sharp and long temptations ! 
How has he set before us an open door, which no one has 
been able to shut ! How has he multiplied us, until we 
have the largest number of communicants of any one 
Evangelical body in the world ! Surely, it has been for 
this reason (it could have been for none other), that, 
feeling ourselves possessed of but a little strength, we 
have yet resolutely clung to and kept the Divine word. 

So must it continue, if our future be worthy of the 
past. We are essentially a reforming body, and hence 
cannot be po]3ular. Ceasing to be challengers and cham- 
pions of the truth, it would find other representatives, 
and leave us behind, as mummies of a buried life, fossil- 
ized relics of a heroic race, that was, and is not. Believe 
me — if true to our mission, we shall yet be hated even 
of our brethren. It is better to expect it ; and those who 
are faint-hearted, let them fall out of the ranks. Indeed, 
it is a sorrowful and humiliating thought that any Bap- 
tist can turn his back upon his own churches, and cast 
himself into the arms of a Pedobaptist church, where his 
influence is against what he holds to be the truth, and in 
support of what he believes to be error, But a multi- 
tude, praised be God, instead of faltering, will bind re- 
proach to their brow as a shining diadem, and exultingly 



Obligation of the Church. 59 

declare with Paul, " I glory in mine infirmities ; for when 
I am weak, then I am strong !'' They will persist in the 
old habit of demanding a ^' Thus saith the Lord," and 
say with Cyprian, the eminent Latin Father of the third 
century: ''God hath testified that we are to do those 
things that are wintten : whence have you that tradition ? 
If it be in the Gospels or the Epistles, then let us observe 
it." And w^ith Cyril, of the fourth century : '' It behoveth 
us not to believe the very least thing of the sacred mys- 
teries of faith without the Holy Scriptures. This is the 
security of our faith, not what is delivered of our own 
inventions, but what is demonstrated from the Holy 
Scriptures." And with Jerome, who survived twenty 
years of the fifth century : '' Those things which, without 
the authorities and testimonies of the Scriptures, men 
invent of their own heads, as from Apostolic traditions, 
are smitten of the sword of God." The hearts of grow- 
ing numbers will thrill with responsive feeling to Lu- 
ther's brave words, when, upon the Pope's bull of 
excommunication, they began to burn his books — "■ Let 
them destroy my works ; I desire nothing better ; for all 
I wanted was to lead Christians to the Bible, that they 
might afterward throw away my writings. Great God ! 
if we had but a right understanding of the Holy Scrip- 
tures, what need would there be of my books ?" And to 
the equally grand utterance of that noble reformer and 
martyr. Bishop Hooper, before referred to, who did not 
much care what company he kept, only so he was on the 
side of truth, declaring, ''I had rather follow the shadoiu 
of Christ, than the body of all the general councils or 
doctors since the death of Christo" ^' It is mine opinion," 
he adds, ''unto all the world, that the Scriptures solely, 
and the apostles' church, is to be followed, and no man's 
authority, be he Tertullian, or even cherubim or seraphim." 
Men of this high-souled loyalty to revealed truth w^e wel- 



6o Obligation of the Church. 

come to our ranks. Come, and let us be fellow-helpers to 
the truth. Come, and let us bear the reproach of Jesus. 
Come, and let us accept and verify what Ronge uttered 
as a slur, " If Koman Catholics have a Pope at Rome, 
Protestants have made a Pope of a BookP' Come, and 
let us gird ourselves for a religious contest, both sure and 
soon to come, unparalleled since the days of the great 
reformation, between Inspiration only, and Inspiration 
with ^' church liberty" and tradition. Come, and let us 
make yet more formidable Rome's acknowledged foe. 
Come, and let us combine, with higher aims and a holier 
and deeper enthusiasm, to justify the Baptist position, 
and to pioneer the way of all the churches up to that 
point where shall be solved what Schenkel terms " The 
Protestant church problem, namely, to incorporate the 
particular churches into the one true church — and so to 
identify the church of the believing with the church of 
the baptized.^^ ISTor can the issue be doubtful: for, in 
the language of Hubmeyer, that learned and eloquent 
Baptist reformer and martyr, whose voice comes sound- 
ing down to us through almost four centuries — '^ Divine 
truth is immortal ; it may, perhaps, for long, be bound, 
scourged, crucified, and, for a season, be entombed in the 
grave ; but, on the third day, it will rise again victorious, 
and rule triumphant forever.'^ 



III. 

THE SPIRITUAL CONSTITUTION OF THE CHRISTIAN 

CHURCH. 

Bt EEY. c. b. ceanb, 

Pastor of South Baptist Church, Hartford, Cona. 

"In whom all the building, fitly framed together, groweth unto a holy 
temple in the lord : in whom ye also are builded together for a habita- 
TION OF God t.irough the Spirit." — Ephesians ii. 21, 22. 

I HAVE selected the text as the point of departure for 
the discussion of the Scriptural idea of the Spiritual 
Constitution of the Christian Church, 

For the development of this idea, I shall pursue two 
distinct lines of argument : first, concentrating upon it 
the light of divine and verbal inspiration ; and secondly ^ 
showing the natural and necessary gravitation of the 
idea toward certain fundamental and cardinal doctrines 
of Scripture, which, in turn, verify the correctness of it. 

I. First, then, the Scriptural argument for the Consti- 
tution of the Church. 

It may help us in the prosecution of this argument, 
to bear in mind that the church as an organization, 
in the Bible use of the term, refers both to the local 
church as the elementary unit, and, in a more indirect 
and inferential way, to the universal church as the 
complex unit. There is also a wider use of the term, 
which, leaving out the idea of organization, contem- 
plates the entire community of Christian believers, per- 
petuated through all the centuries of time into the 
illimitable range of eternity, as the church of Christ. 
6 (61) 



62 Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 

This last meaning of the term, as being incompatible 
with the idea of formal constitution and organization, 
does not enter within the scope of our investigation. 
We have to do solely with the local church as an ele- 
mentary unit, and the universal church as an organic 
and complex unit. 

It is a very fixed habit of Baptists, offended at the 
mechanical and artificial ecclesiastical unity which has 
been constructed by other Christian denoniinations, and 
much in love with the mutual independency of their own 
separate societies, to repudiate the name of church as 
applied to their entire body, and to affix it to their local 
communities alone. They do not seem to consider that 
a unit which abideth alone, and is incapable of entering 
organically into a larger unit, is a dead unit, like fruit- 
less and non-working faith ; that life always tends toward 
wider organization. They forget that JSTature, on every 
hand, furnishes specimens of broad unities, which are in 
no respect incompatible with the completeness and inde- 
pendence of the lesser constituent units. And we may 
discover, before we have finished our discussion, that, 
without contemplating mechanical and artificial organi- 
zation, it is equally correct to style the entire body of 
spiritual commonwealths, and the local community, the 
church ; that with equal propriety we may^ speak of the 
Baptist churches and the Baptist church as being 
synonymous terms. 

Meantime, so homogeneous are the lesser and greater 
units, so identical except in magnitude, that they will 
stand to each other in the relation of the microcosm to 
the macrocosm ; so that whatever Scriptures apj)ly to the 
one, will apply with equal pertinency to the other. 

Thus much being premised in the way of preparation 
for the intelligent and easy handling of our argument, 
let us proceed to the examination of the more salient and 



spiritual Constitution of the Church. 6^ 

expressive passages of inspired Scripture, which look 
toward the true idea of the constitution of the Christian 
church. 

The text teaches distinctly ,^that the structural unity 
of the family of God, the organized body of Christians, 
the spiritual temple, is in Jesus Christ, — ''in whom 
all the building is fitly framed together." By virtue of 
this fact, we call our ecclesiastical superstructure the 
''church of Christ,'' or the ''Christian church," repudi- 
ating all such pseudo-philanthropic and ad captandum 
designations as "liberal church," and "broad church;" 
and even using with reluctance the cognomen, " Baptist 
church," as forced upon us by the necessities of a polemic 
theology, and not voluntarily assumed by ourselves. 

Immediately, upon this declaration of a structural 
ecclesiastical unity in Christ, we are confronted by the 
question, rising out from a prevalent theory and polity, 
which are widely different from our own : Is this unity 
merely in the outward and objective work of atonement 
which Christ has accomplished in the midst of humanity, 
and in behalf of it ? or does it consist in the actual com- 
munion, as between the entire church and Christ, of the 
spirit and life of Christ ? In other words : May inwardly 
unregenerate, merely sacramentally regenerate, persons 
be mortised into the structural church, by virtue of the 
general and formal redemptive work of Christ, with hope 
that they shall subsequently be brought, through inward 
regeneration, into the fellowship of the mind and will of 
Christ ? or must each member of the church be entered 
into it, because he is actually and essentially born of 
God, and spiritually in him who by the Holj^ Spirit is 
everywhere present in the ecclesiastical organism? 

This question is not merely a speculative one, a bar or 
ring for the gymnastic exercise of the limber theologian ; 
but is of the utmost practical importance. For, wha<tever 



64 Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 

may be the mutual contradictions of other religious de- 
nominations than onr own, they are all united, though 
differing in intrepidity of statement and in methods of 
argument, in the defence of the thesis that, by reason of 
what Christ has done in tlie respect of a formal and ob- 
ject] re atonement, unregenerate persons may be more or 
less closely organized into the Christian church. We 
cannot, therefore, avoid the consideration and answering 
of this question. It lies at our threshold, and must be 
disposed of in the initiative of all our polemic sorties. 

Meantime, in our reply from a Scriptural standing- 
point to the interrogation, Whether the structural unity 
of the church in Christ allows the introduction into it of 
the unregenerate, or only of the regenerate: we shall 
arrive at once at the announcement and the evidence of 
our theory of the constitution of the church. 

Observe, then, I pray you, that other Scriptural state- 
ments and figures than are found in the text, teach dis- 
tinctly and exclusively the actual regeneracy of all who 
compose the Christian church. 

Take, for instance, the similitude of the vine and its 
branches, a first-hand announcement from Christ him- 
self of the doctrine which we are discussing. If this 
symbol indicates any thing, it is the actual participation, 
by the entire membership of the church, of the C bristly 
life. As every branch is developed out from the vine, 
not beginning to be till it begins in the life of the vine, 
so ever}^ true member of Christ's mystical organism is 
developed out from that organism, and has the begin- 
ning of its condition of membership in his essential and 
communicated life. There is no provision here for graft- 
ing, for insertion of something that is dead into that 
which is alive, in hope that it may be made alive ; but 
the whole course of thought implies the germination and 
development from the life of Christ, of the entire mem- 



Spiritual Constitution of the Cnurch. 65' 

bersliip of the chiirch. True, Paul, in the Epistle to the 
Komans, while commenting upon the rejection of Christ 
by the Jews and his acceptance by the Gentiles, makes 
allusion to the horticultural symbol of grafting ; but hisi 
entire argument implies that he intends merely the tern 
porary substitution of one race for another in the gracious 
purpose of God, and that he does not even remotely 
intend the constitution of the church. 

Indeed, in the similitude of the vine and the branches, 
Christ distinctly teaches that when a man, upon any 
theory whatever, claims to belong to the mj^stical vine, 
and does not, meanwhile, share the life of the vine, he is 
to be thrust out even from his nominal claim, and cut 
oif. Unregeneracy is a bar of church membership. 

j^otice, again, that the structural and regenerate unity 
of the church in Christ is set forth with equal distinct- 
ness in the symbol of the body, which is used so fre- 
quently by the apostle Paul, and which gave rise to the 
doctrine of the '' mystical body" of the elder theologians. 
Looking from an objective point of view at the opera- 
tion of the joining of an individual to the body of Christ, 
the apostle declares : *' For by one Spirit are we all bap- 
tized into one body, . . . and have been all made to 
drink into one Spirit. '^ And since the baptism by water 
is the emblem of inward regeneration by the Spirit, this 
passage teaches, when divested of its emblematic imagery, 
that every member of the church, which is the body of 
Christ, is regenerated into it. 

Yet it is plain that all the analogies which this symbol 
of the body suggests, indicate that regeneration is not 
into the body, but out from it ; that all the members of 
it have their original life from the organic life of it ; that 
they are not mechanically added to it like legs of wood 
and hands of steel, in the hope that they may afterward 
receive the life of it ; but Christ, the living Head, creates 
6* 



66 Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 

and develops tliem out from Ms own essential life. They 
do not exist at all, in the respect of their new relations 
and condition, till they are thus formed by him, and de- 
veloped. Thus, every true member of the church is at 
once the product and the receptacle of the life of the 
church ; and he is not by the sacraments of baptism and 
the Lord's Supper joined to the church, but receives them 
rather as signs of his being already a sharer of the life 
w^hich the members all receive from their living head, and 
hence, as being alread^^ interiorly and organically mem- 
bers of his body. 

Notice, again, that every true member of the church is 
declared by the word of inspiration to be himself a " tem- 
ple of the Holy Ghost,'' indwelt of that detergent per- 
sonality, whose office it is successively to regenerate and 
sanctify, and glorify the nature of the believer. 

The same thought, with a different form and color of 
imagery, is expressed in the figure of living or 'lively 
stones," by which the exclusively regenerate character 
of the membership of the church is not merely indicated, 
but is also positively taught. Every member is a living 
stone ; through which, courses and pulses the divine vi- 
tality, dilating it, working the disintegrating power of 
sin out of it, toning up and conserving its organization, 
bringing it forward to divineness. 

Now, by virtue of this fellowship in the Christly life 
of all the parts of the temple, the whole temple groweth 
toward symmetry and largeness of perfection. It grow^- 
eth, and is not builded, by reason of the constitution of 
the entire membership in a living organism. 

But if there are mere mechanically, or, what is the 
same thing, sacramentally, added parts to it, which can- 
not, in the very nature of things, share the common life 
of it, the temple will increase unsymmetrically, and be- 
come in its ugly disproportionateness the scandal of 



Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 67 

both reason and faith. Either the living members, to 
revert to the symbol of the body, will grow into an 
undue preponderance over the legs of wood and hands 
of steel; or these added members will be artificially 
magnified, and be brought into the condition of over- 
muchness. Indeed, since these latter do not grow at all 
— cannot grow in fact — there will be such anxious con- 
triving to enlarge them, that they will be exaggerated into 
a grotesque outline and contour, and thus give a false 
and unlovely seeming to the entire body, bringing it into 
disrepute, doing for it what is done by dead flies for the 
potted ointment of the apothecary. 

Thus the apparentl}^ innocuous operation of joining 
infants by the sacrament of holy baptism to the church — . 
even though, by reason of an evangelicity of sentiment 
which could not be wholly abandoned at once, they were 
so remotely joined as not to be esteemed in the ecclesi- 
astical membership at all — led forward in one direction, 
by virtue of the exigent force of logic and philosophy, to 
the heresies of infant church membership and baptismal" 
regeneration, and thence to all the stupendous falsehoods 
which germinally abide in those dogmas ; and in another 
direction, as in the case of the JS'ew England Pedobap- 
tistic polity, to the notorious " half-way covenant," which 
plunged scores of churches into the turbulent current of 
the Unitarian apostasy. 

The symmetrical growth of the ''holy temple" of the 
church requires as its invariable condition the regeneracy 
and spirituality of all its members, the exclusive entrance 
into its superstructure of living stones ; and when this 
condition is violated, in theory or in practice, there is 
lack of iDroportion and a departure of comeliness. 

Emerging now from our Scriptural argument, we 
find ourselves possessed of the result of it, to wit : that 
the true idea of the constitution of the church requires, 



68 Spiritual Constitution of- the Church. 

and consists in, an organic union of Christian believers, 
an exclusively regenerate membership. This is the Bap- 
tistic idea, basilar and central in our creed, emblazoned 
upon our banners, organized into our life. 

Meantime, fairness requires that I admit that other 
than Baptist churches verbally announce the same doc- 
trine. Dr. Hodge, the eminent exponent of the Presby- 
terian theology, expressly declares that the Sacraments 
(which are the signs of the structural unity of the church) 
belong only to believers. Yet the Presb3^terian church, 
in its practice of infant baptism, organizes unregenerate 
persons more or less closely into its superstructure. 

Dr. Lyman Beecher, one of the most eminent repre- 
sentatives of New England Congregationalism, in his 
discourse on '' the Design, Kights, and Duties of Local 
Churches,'' lays down the following propositions, which 
I give in his own words : '' The requisite qualifications 
for membership in a church of Christ, are p)ersonal holi^ 
ness in the sight of God, and a credible profession of 
holiness before men, ^ ^ ^ The commission given 
by our Saviour to his apostles at his ascension directs 
them, first to make disciples, and then to baptize them, 
inculcating universal obedience. * ^i^ >k ^ regularly 
ordained ministry, an orthodox creed, and devout forms 
of worship, cannot constitute a church of Christ, loith^ 
out personal holiness in the members.^^ 

The Rev. Charles Beecher, the compiler of the so- 
called autobiography of his father, writes and prints as 
follows: ''According to the primitive Puritan faith, a 
local church is not a voluntary association on purely 
human principles, but a divine family, a household of 
children spiritually born of God, heirs of God, and joint 
heirs with Christ. * * * Q-od creates the church hy 
creating the spiritual children who are ipso facto its 
members. True sonship to God constitutes membership 



Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 6g 

in the visible chnrcli, as really as natural birth in the 
natural family. All that the local church can do, accord- 
ing to this view, is to recognize as members, on suitable 
evidence, those who are such by birth divine.'' Yet 
the Congregational church organizes into itself, by the 
administration of what it is pleased to name Christian 
baptism, unregenerate infants. Says Dr. Bushnell, ''AH 
those classes of Christian disciples who practice infant 
baptism conceive it, of course, to have a certain common 
character with adult baptism, and so to create a sup- 
posed, or somehow supposable, membership in the church." 

Meantime, advanced and logical thinkers, like the emi- 
nent iDreacher and author vfhose words I have just quoted, 
proceeding from the fact of infant baptism, and in some 
instances, implying a sacramental, or earlier congenital, 
regeneration of those who are the subjects of it, demand 
that they be acknowledged as entered into the member- 
ship of the church. 

Said a scholarly and distinguished minister in a council 
of Congregational churches, at which I chanced to be 
present: ''If you deny the church membership of bap- 
tized infants, your Baptist brethren have you on the hip.'' 
The baptism of infants, even in accordance with the 
most evangelical Congregational theory, conducts to the 
doctrine of a membership in the church of those who are 
thus baptized. 

In the articles of faith of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, I read that "the visible church of Christ, is a 
congregation of faithful (in the Scriptural sense, re- 
generate) men." Yet, while affirming baptism to be the 
sign, either of a profession of Christian faith, or of re- 
generation, the creed of this church declares that "the 
baptism of young children is to be retained in the church." 
And since the infant subjects of baptism have no faith 
to profess, the ordinance must signify as concerning them 



70 Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 

. — if it signifies any thing — either a regeneration b}^ it ac- 
complished, or a congenital holiness Yvhich is equivalent 
to regeneration. Indeed, Dr. Whedon, one of the most 
accomplished thinkers of the church, declares, if I cor- 
rectly understand him, that infants are to be baptized, 
because by virtue of the general atoning work of Christ, 
they are born into a condition of holiness. Logically 
consequent upon this, of course, is the church member- 
ship of baptized infants. 

The Protestant Episcopal Church in its articles of 
faith declares the ''visible church to be a congregation 
of faithful ( Script ur ally, regenerate) men." Yet, by the 
baptism of infants, and even of manifestly unconverted 
adults, it admits them into the membership of the church, 
according to the formula in the office of baptism : " Seeing 
now, dearly beloved brethren, that this child, or this 
person, is regenerate, and grafted into the body of Christ's 
church." Meantime, though affirming the doctrine of 
baptismal regeneration, yet, when pressed b}^ the Bap- 
tistic polemics, it is often forced to admit, that such re- 
generation does not mean a real and spiritual renewal, 
but only a change of the outward relations of the one 
baptized, with the hope and expectation that it will lead 
forward to a correspondent inward change. 

The fact is that the application of the initial ordinance 
of the church to any person whatever, logically contemx- 
plates the church membership of that person. And when 
Dr. Bushnell demands this on the ground of the propa- 
gated character of the believing parent to the child ; and 
Dr. Whedon demands it on the ground of the inborn 
holiness of all infants ; and the Episcopal divines demand 
it on the ground of the regenerative efficacy of baptism ; 
they do all pass forward in logical procedure from the 
Pedo-baptistic premises to the inevitable conclusion. 

And I confess to you, that when I reflect how irre- 



Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 71 

sponsible and unconsenting the infant subjects of baptism 
are, I am conscious that, if I accepted such a procedure 
of logic, a necessity would be laid upon me to advance to 
a conclusion more nearl}^ ultimate, enlarging the bound- 
aries of the church till they included the whole humanity. 
I would go forward till I stood with the eloquent and 
fascinating Charles Kingsley, according to whom, the 
church is the world in a certain aspect. Says Rev. J. H. 
Rigg, in his '^Modern Anglican Theology," giving 
Kingsle3^'s theory of the church: ''the world is called the 
church, when it recognizes its relation to God in Christ, 
and acts accordingly. The church is the world, lifting 
itself up into the sunshine; the w^oiid is the church, 
fallino- into shadow and darkness. When and where the 
lio'ht and life that are in the world break out into brio;ht, 
or noble, or holy word or deed, then and there the world 
shows that the nature and glory (ff the church live within 
it. Every man of the world is not only potentially, but 
virtually, a member of Christ's church, whatever may, for 
the present, be his character or seeming. Like the colors 
in shot silk, or in a dove's neck, the difference of hue and 
denomination depends merel}^ upon the degree of light, 
and the angle of vision. In conformity with this prin- 
ciple, Mr. Kingsley's theology altogether secularizes the 
kingdom of Christ." That is to say, Kingsley speaks 
the last word of the syllogism, whose first word falls 
upon our cars from ten thousand lips all around. 

I am bold, therefore, to declare, since I deny inborn 
and hereditary holiness and baptismal regeneration, that 
all other churches than our own, according to their own 
confused and often contradictory declarations, comprise 
in their membership mixed regenerate and unregenerato 
elements. 

^ It follows, that the Baptist church, if its practice cor- 
respond with its theory, is a fabric with a selvaged edge 



72 Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 

of regeneracy, separate from the world, the well-defined 
body of divine truth and life : while the Pedo-baptistic 
church is a fabric with a ravelled edge, organically united 
by its unregenerate membership with the unregenerate 
world, not the well-defined body of divine truth and 
life. 

The true idea of the constitution of the church of 
Christ, then, being that of an organized society of Chris- 
tian believers, I pass to say, 

II. Secondly, that this idea gravitates "laturally and 
necessarily toward the recognition and practice of im- 
portant and cardinal doctrines of Scripture, which in turn 
verify the divine truthfulness of it ; while the idea, which 
is the more or less pronounced contradiction of this, 
gravitates toward dogmas which are the polar opposites 
of those doctrines. 

(a.) First, then, this idea gravitates toward such a 
conception of the doctrine of regeneration as makes it 
exclusively a radical and interior change of the nature, 
solely in consequence of which, it is proper for the re- 
generate to enter into a sacramental relation with the 
church. It requires that a man be born of God, be set 
loose from the dominance of sin, be made a partaker of 
the divine nature, be in purpose and character a true dis- 
ciple of Christ, as the precedent condition of entering 
into the organized Christian membership. It withholds 
from him the sacraments of baptism, and the Lord's Sup- 
per, till he be interiorly a new creature. The administra- 
tion of these ordinances does not contemplate him as a 
sinner, but only as a saint. Spiritual fitness in him is the 
sole ground of his reception of them. And when this fit- 
ness is produced by the operation of the Holy Grhost, then 
the ordiuc^nces of the church are administered to him as 
the signs and tokens of it. 

Thus does the Baptistic idea of the constitution of the 



Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 73 

charch, by a necessity of its own nature, contemplate 
regeneration as an inward and radical thing, as a thing 
essential to an entrance into ecclesiastical relations, as a 
primal and all-important thing ; and thus does it guard 
and conserve it in its trae import and purity. It sets 
aside the fact of incorporation into the visible body of 
Christ, by the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's 
Supper, as being no sufficient evidence of discipleship ; 
and resting the evidence solely upon a condition of spirit- 
ual regeneration, as revealed in character and life, at 
once exalts regeneration into due pre-eminence, and 
tends toward the development and culture of inward 
piety. 

The ecclesiastical system, on the other hand, which 
admits unregenerate persons into relations which imply 
regeneracy, even though it be with the hope that they 
may thereby be brought forward into the regenerate 
condition, is not merely unphilosophical as well as un- 
scriptural, but it also tends to the making dangerously* 
overmuch of the merely outward change of relations. If 
it be the all-important thing to be entered into the body 
of Christ's church by the dripping of baptismal waters — 
falsely so called — from priestly fingers, then, not to have 
been thus entered into the church, is to remain in a most 
unpromising and forlorn condition. Hence, it is no 
strange thing that the rigid logicians of the establishment 
of the apostolic succession can offer no assured promise 
of salvation to unbaptized infants and dissenting Chris- 
tians, leaving them all with generous sadness to the un- 
covenanted mercies of God. The sacramental, and not 
the ante- or post-sacramental regeneration, is the thing 
most eminent in thought and faith. Indeed, since to 
those who are thus, consciously or unconsciously, made 
the subjects of baptism and outwardly regenerated, all 
the best names which can belong to the ripest saint are 
1 



*» 



74 Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 

accorded, such as '^ regenerate cliildren," '' sons of God," 
*' disciples of Christ," " dearly beloved and holy brethren ;" 
and since there are no new names to be accorded after 
the contemplated inward change is effected, there is pos- 
sible, and even realized danger that such inward change 
will be deemed an unimportant, if not a visionary thing. 

Hence, the tendency of this false idea of the constitu- 
tion of the church is toward the corrupting and denial 
of the doctrine of spiritual regeneration, and toward 
merely formal religion instead of inward and genuine 
piety. 

(b.) Secondly y the theory of an exclusively regenerate 
membership of the church, whereby all who compose it 
are on terms of spiritual equality, looks toward a demo- 
cratic ecclesiastical polity, in the operating of which, and 
by its reflex influence, there is attainment to manliness 
and womanliness in the religious, as well as in the social 
and political spheres. Monarchy and aristocracy, accord- 
ing to Neander, do not harmonize with the spirit of 
Christianity. The in-dwelling in all, of the divine Spirit, 
is the enfranchisement of all; for '^ where the Spirit of 
the Lord is, there is liberty ;" ''the truth shall make you 
free;" ''if the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye 
shall be free indeed." And the condition of enfranchise- 
ment is, under God, the condition of self-government. 
Hence, since the entire membership of the church is lifted 
into the plane of a divine freedom, and is subject only to 
Christ, it is endowed with autocracy ; in its totality it 
elects and deposes its officers, determines all its methods 
of procedure, augments or diminishes its numbers by the 
exercise of its discipline. It projects no select guild or 
order of men above itself for its sovereign control, nor 
does it accept the imposition upon itself, from any source 
whatever, of such a sovereign guild. 

We are learning, in these last days, that if we would 



Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 75 

make a man of a human being, we must lay responsibility 
upon Mm ; endow him with the right of self-control ; ad- 
mit him to the handling of august and sacred things ; 
thrust him into the fellowship of legislative and adminis- 
trative work. And in the kingdom of Christ, where is 
neither Greek nor Jew, bond nor free, male nor female, 
we are to respect, in the matter of liberty and co-ordi- 
nate authority, no distinctions of caste, or age, or sex. 

Accepting, as Baptists have done, this divinely ap- 
pointed constitution of the church, there has been 
produced among them so much freedom and personal 
independence, and common responsibility in ecclesias- 
tical administration, that 3^ou find nowhere else such 
dignity and intelligence .in the conduct of religious 
enterprises. 

And it is a matter of history, that such men as Jeffer- 
son and Bancroft have discovered in the Baptistic polity 
the principles which should be organized into a free and 
democratic i^olitical superstructure. 

True, this autocracy, under Christ, of the entire Chris- 
tian membership, will sometimes lead to excesses. Ma- 
jorities will not alwaj^s be wise; liberty will, not un- 
frequently, develop into anarchy ; men of iron will and 
capacity of control will develop from their fronts the 
unlovely garniture of horns. But better the extrava- 
gances of liberty than the unmanliness of servility; 
better the overmuch assumption of responsibility than, 
the tame repudiation of it ; better the occasional wild 
curvettings of freedom than the heavy clanking of 
chains ; better the too high leap than the crushing of 
an iron heel. The force of gravitation is untiring. It 
is easier to curb a swift horse than to quicken a slow 
one. It is easier to tone down than to tone up, to 
repress than to elevate. And so liberty and self- 
government, shared by all, are good ; and the Baptistic 



76 spiritual Constitution of the Church. 

idea of church constitution gravitates toward them irre- 

-sistibly. 

But in the theory of the mixture of regenerate and 
unregenerate elements in the Christain membership, the 
latter dragging the former below the plane of spiritual 
freedom and a legitimate autocracy, a sovereign guild 
must, in some way, be introduced, naturally priestly or 
episcopal in its character, which shall govern the hetero- 
geneous masses who are incompetent for self-government. 
And thus is developed among them, as arising from the 
withholding from them of just responsibility, an indiffer- 
ence toward ecclesiastical matters, an ignorance of them, 
sometimes an offensive bigotry concerning them, and a 
habit of progress by leading-strings, which is inconsistent 
with manly and intelligent independence with respect to 
the supreme concerns of religion. 

(c.) Thirdly, the theor}^ of an exclusively regenerate 
membership of the church makes the church, in its total- 
ity, the witness, and embodiment, and representative of the 
tmdh. In scriptural language, '^ the pillar and ground 
of the truthJ^ It is this, not because its creed is true, 
not because its sacraments are such as were appointed by 
Christ, not because it has the proper order of ministries 
— for the grossest heresies and the most pronounced 
worldliness are historically compatible with these — but 
because of its entire regeneracy ; because, in its character 
and life, truth is displayed ; because it is exclusively com- 
posed of those who are, by virtue of the indwelling of 
Christ, his epistles, known and read of all men. 

Meantime, it should be considered, the witnessing of 
Christ and truth by the church is not to be confined to 
the temples where doctrine is preached and the ordinances 
are administered, nor yet to the fortunate few who may 
happen to hold its creed in their hands ; but it is to be a 
universal testimony, on every street, in every family, in 



Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 77 

every shop, on every river and sea, in every place where 
a member and representative of the chnrch may go or 
tariy. And this testimony, demanded, without excep- 
tion, of all, consists, not in a verbal declaration of truth, 
but in the shinino- forth of it from a reg-enerate character 
and life. 

The Baptistic idea of the constitution of the church 
provides for this, and by virtue of such providence the 
church becomes the ''pillar and ground of the truth." 

But the opposite idea, allowing the mixture of regen- 
erate and unregenerate elements in the church, precludes 
the possibility of this universal witnessing ; since they 
who are not shaped to truth cannot reveal its fair propor- 
tions, since the^^ who are not made alive by it cannot 
manifest the life which abides in it. 

(d.) Four^thly, the theory of an exclusively regenerate 
membership makes the whole church a priesthood. Thus 
are all Christians to '' present their bodies a living sacri- 
fice unto God ;'' thus are they all of the " royal priest- 
hood;'' thus are they all ''kings and priests unto God." 
And the whole course of the Epistle to the Hebrews is 
determined by this grand idea of the priesthood of the 
entire Christian commonwealth. They are to consecrate 
themselves ; they are to consecrate their children ; they 
are to consecrate their possessions ; they are to conse- 
crate time and talents — all to God. Thc}^ are to lift their 
lives thank-offerings to heaven ; they are to get close to 
the ear and heart of God, all of them in their own proper 
persons ; they are to offer fervent, effectual, intercessory 
prayer to the living God, on behalf of a dead humanity ; 
they are to bear the names of those for whom they 
plead, graven, not upon onyx-stones, which rest in ouches 
of gold upon priestly shoulders, but upon their hearts, 
which pulsate with a divine solicitude. The vail which 
separated the Holy of Holies from the outer court is for- 



78 Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 

ever rent ; and ever}^ member of the clinrch, by virtue of 
Ms priestly character, is summoned to the altar and the 
mercy-seat. Thus does the Baptistic idea of the consti- 
tution of the church gra^dtate with singular energy to- 
ward the doctrine of the essential priesthood of the entire 
church. 

By virtue of this priesthood, the entire church is or- 
dained and consecrated to missionary and evangelical 
work. The advancing of the divine kingdom, the dif- 
fusion of the gospel among the heathen, the bearing of 
the glad tidings to neglected communities and neighbor- 
hoods in Christendom, is to be the duty, not of a '' select 
class of Christians alone, but tlie most immediate concern 
of every individual.'^ Since men are to be subdued to 
Christ by being inwardly changed, and not by being 
merely brought into sacramental relations with the church, 
the redemption is to be accomplished by the power of 
God, bestowed in answer to prayer, and in connection 
with earnest labor, and the power of a divinely inspired 
human influence. Hence in all Baptistic efforts for church 
extension, minister and laymen go forth together, share 
the prayers and exhortations, assume the common office 
of leading sinners to Christ, become a blazing fire to com- 
municate their ov»^n flame. 

But the Pedo-Baptistic idea, sometimes unconsciously, 
as often consciously, on the part of those who accept it, 
blindly gropes after a special holy guild, holier than the 
totality of the mixed regenerate and unregenerate Chris- 
tian membership, which shall get into the more immediate 
presence of God, mediate between God, on the one hand, 
and church and world on the other, and become the chan- 
nel for the conducting of the influences of heaven to the 
earth. Indeed, the natural consequence of such an out- 
ward projection of the divine kingdom as is accomplished 
by a merely sacramental construction of it, is a select. 



Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 79 

and priestly order, in some real sense separate from the 
church, and above it. 

This tendency is illustrated, even in the most evangeli- 
cal Pedo-Baptistic churches, by the fact of the non-mem- 
bership of the pastor in the church which he serves, of his 
peculiar relations with the Presbytery, of his amenable- 
ness solely to the jurisdiction of his clerical peers and 
their associate ruling elders. 

The tendency is more marked and pronounced in the 
establishment of the apostolic succession, partly by virtue 
of which succession, partly by virtue of the incompetency 
of a mixed ecclesiastical membership to approach in its 
totality close to God, an order of ministry is created, to 
which the title of priesthood is intrepidly applied. The 
exclusive assumption of priestly offices by this select 
guild is the explicit denial of them to the entire laic mem- 
bership. And so all the fine passages of Scripture which 
concede an essential priesthood to the whole church are 
virtually blotted out from the canon of inspiration. Yet 
this clerical order is not slow to arrogate to itself the 
priestly functions. It styles itself a priesthood ; it kneels 
at altars ; it secludes itself within chancels ; it symbolizes 
its intercessor}^ office by the fashion of its vestments ; it 
communicates regenerative power b}^ the touch of its 
dripping fingers ; it xDronounces absolution to the penitent ; 
and, in the persons of those who have followed a perni- 
cious logic to its conclusion, it awaits auricular confession 
from those whom it shall declare absolved from sin. 

Yet the rectoral priesthood, august though it be, comes 
not immediately into vicarious and intercessory relations 
with Christ, the great head of the church ; but derives 
the plentitude of its authority and communicable grace 
from a more exalted priestly order, perpetuated through 
an apostolic succession which was not broken nor vitiated 
iu the protracted debauchery of Papal idolatry. 



8o Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 

Wh}^ sliould there be a pause at the episcopate ? ''The 
aristocratic constitution/' according to Keander, ''will 
ever find it easy, by various gradual changes, to pass over 
to the monarchical." Why shall not bishoprics find their 
unity in archbishoprics, as is the fact in England, and 
the pronounced tendency in America ? And why shall 
not archbishoprics find their unity in the Papacy, with 
a successor of Peter, a vicar of Christ, linking the entire 
church to God ? Logic is logic ; and let it be no occasion 
of wonder that Protestant priests and bishops, by the 
stress of it, find a home at last, and their instinct of com- 
pleteness gratified, in the bosom of the Church of Kome 
— a temporary home, alas ! since against the hoarj^ and 
tottering structure the artillery of heaven is being trained 
for its stupendous overthrow. 

A little while ago, I said that the Baptistic idea of the 
constitution of the church, making the whole church a 
priesthood, ordains and consecrates the entire Christian 
membership to evangelical and missionary work. 

The Pedo-Baptistic idea, on the other hand, when logi- 
cally developed, by its appointment of a special priest- 
hood, limits the evangelical and missionary work to that 
priesthood. Since the church is to lengthen its cords and 
strengthen its stakes by the sacramental joining to it of 
those who are without, it needs but the priest with his 
font, and the bishop with his holy hands of confirmation, 
to institute the requisite relations between the consenting 
men and the holy body of Christ. Forth from the bosom 
of the laic membership no zealous saints are summoned, 
that they may plead in gentle entreaties with sinners, and 
lift them in the grasp of their strong prayers to God. 
The church, in the totalit}^ of its membership, is thus vir- 
tually excluded from personal efi'ort for the advancement 
of the divine kingdom in the world. 

Thus must we say, that to the Baptistic idea of the 



Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 8i 

constitution of the church, the conception of any thing 
else than a universal priesthood is totally alien. From 
the Pedo-Baptistic idea, the conception of a select priest- 
hood proceeds in the way of natural generation. 

(e.) Fifthly, and finally, the theory of an exclusively 
regenerate membership points toward a natural organiza- 
tion of all the local churches into a larger unit, which 
may properly be denominated '' the church.'^ This organ- 
ization is not outward ; it is not artificial and mechanical ; 
it does not require presbyteries, and synods, and assem- 
blies, and conferences ; it does not require bishops, and 
archbishops, and popes ; — but it is subjective ; it rests upon 
an identity of spiritual consciousness ; it is produced by 
the regenerate perception, in the entire brotherhood, of 
the will and authority of Christ, in whom the grand su- 
perstructure is organized, and by whom it is controlled. 
The unity is like that of beech trees in the beech, of men 
in man — a unity of fellowship of faith, and sentiment, 
and life ; implying reciprocity between all the elementary 
units ; providing a denominational investiture of minis- 
terial functions for the teacher whom the local church 
would call to ordination ; providing a denominational 
literature ; j)roviding facilities for denominational work ; 
providing methods of interchange of membership be- 
tween local churches. 

And yet the unity has no smack of artifice or mechan- 
ics ; it is a unity of faith and love — a unity in Christ. 
And it is all the firmer and closer, because it is so divinely 
voluntary and free. Each local church is united with all 
the others in strong bonds of obligation, yielding alle- 
giance, and demanding allegiance ; supervising them, and 
accepting their supervision ; making claims, and acknowl- 
edging claims ; judging, and being judged ; counseling, 
and being counseled ; but the strength of the bond is 
love. 



82 Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 

And it is a singular and impressive fact, that local Bap- 
tist churches — revolving independently about their own 
centres ; acknowledging no synodical, or conferential, or 
episcopal control ; and taught of Christ by the spiritual 
insight of a regenerate membership — have attained to a 
wonderful unanimity of doctrine and polity ; have become 
organized -into a true and natural unit. If there is any 
denomination of Christians in the world that can claim 
to be, according to all the analogies of nature, a church, 
it is the Baptist denomination. 

But an ecclesiastical society which admits an unregen- 
erate element into its membership, cannot, in the nature 
of things, obtain or retain a unity of inward and spir- 
itual consciousness, such as is produced by a regenerate 
perception of the will and authority of Christ ; and if it 
strives after organization with sister societies, the organ- 
ization must be, according to principles already sug- 
gested, more or less, hierarchichal, and artificial, and me- 
chanical. 

But it is more than time that T arrest the discussion to 
which you have listened with so kindly patience. 

I have proposed the thesis that the true idea of the 
spiritual constitution'of the church requires, and consists 
in, an organic union of Christian believers, an exclusively 
regenerate membership. 

I have developed and vindicated this idea, first, by 
concentrating upon it the light of divine and verbal in- 
spiration; and secondly, by showing the natural and 
necessary gravitation of it toward certain fundamental 
and cardinal doctrines of Scripture, which, in turn, verify 
its correctness. Did your patience permit, I might show 
you that, since all the doctrines of our holy religion are 
correlative, this central idea of our church creed and life 
gravitates toward them all — toward the doctrines of an 
inspired and infallible Scripture, the fall of man, the 



Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 83 

power of Christ upon character, justification by faith, 
sanctification by the Spirit, the divine purpose of grace, 
the perseverance of the saints. 

But it is enough that I have shown you the tenclenc}'', 
without tarrying to elaborate its manifest developments. 

This idea of the spiritual constitution of the church is 
central in all just theology and ecclesiastical i^olitj^ 
Deny it, corrupt it, thrust it from the centre, and all 
symmetry of system and organism depart. 

How grand and august must be our conception of a 
church whose character is determined, and whose pros- 
perity is augmented, by this divine and beautiful idea ! 
How must such a church fulfill all the conditions which 
are requisite, in order that it may be, in the broad, blind, 
groaning, wicked world, the '' pillar and ground of the 
truth!" How should you and I stand for that matchless 
idea, and labor to bring it forward toward realization, even 
though it be at the expense of sacrifice which impover- 
ishes us, and of toil which saps our strength and abridges 
the term of our lives ! How supremely proud we should 
be, how highly honored we should esteem ourselves, that 
we are permitted to be, through heavenly enlightenment, 
the champions of that idea ! 

We alone have conceived, and are striving for the 
realization of this lofty and incomparable idea of the 
Lord's church in the world. We alone demand that onlv 
they shall be admitted into its fellowship who have been 
born again by the regenerating power of the Holy Ghost. 

With us, no witless babes are brought in the sweet 
arms of motherhood, no prattling children trip wonder- 
ingiy to the marble font, that, by the falling dews of an 
unreal baptism, they may be introduced into an unreal 
household of faith. 

With us, the Christian church is no merely organized 
means of grace, into w^hich carnal men may be received 



84 Spiritual Constitution of the Church. 

by the drippings of priestly fingers, and by the confirma- 
tion of prelatic hands, in order that they may perchance 
be brought forward into the inheritance and practice of 
holiness. 

At our gates stand more exacting wardens, who look 
for the sign-manual of Jesus upon the foreheads of those 
who would be admitted into the fellowship of the saints. 

So would we, by all loving, and laborious, and patient 
fidelity to our idea, build up the holy church, the spiritual 
temple, of those whom love and salvation of God have 
blessed. 

We would demand its acceptance by the ecclesiastical 
societies which reject it. We would make our characters 
and lives eloquent with it. And we would so extend our 
divine commonwealth, that when it embraced the whole 
humanity, the whole humanity should be holy — no unre- 
pentant rebel, no unassoiled traitor, reconstructed into 
the sublime realization of the ideal celestial republic. 



TV. 
BAPTISM. 

By EBV. G. D. B. pepper. 

Professor in Newton Theological Institution. 



* * * 



One baptism." — Ephesians iv. 5. 



" God is a spirit, and they that worship him must wor- 
ship him in spirit and in truth.'' 

These words express the pre-eminent spirituality of the 
Christian religion. It does not consist in forms and 
ceremonies, and the soul that has experienced its divine 
power can never submit to the bondage of mere ritualism. 
To speak in defence of such bondage is to war against 
the Holy Spirit. 

But to me it has fallen to address you concerning the 
rite known as baptism. And is not baptism an exter- 
nality ? It is, and is not. It is ; but it is also more. It 
is an externality, as human language is. The words 
which we utter — ^what are they but vibrations in the air, 
caused by certain movements of the vocal organs ? 
These words written — what are they but forms traced in 
ink upon paper for the eye ? The highest attainment of 
language in discourse — is it any thing more than com- 
binations of these words ? Is not language, then, an 
externality? What is it in our galleries of art which 
draws to them the sons of genius and the daughters of 
taste, and there holds them charmed and enchained ? Do 
you say it is the pictures and statues, creations of im- 
mortal mind? But what are pictures but paint upon 
canvas ? And what are statues but marble quarried and 
chiseled? And surely paint and marble are external 
8 (85) 



86 Christian Baptism. 

and material things. Many a strong man in our army' 
during the last four years, in hours of crisis and encoun- 
ter, has been thrilled with intensest enthusiasm as his eyes 
have seen, waving above the embattled host and moving 
toward the rebel array, a certain old, familiar, starred and 
striped flag — and in that inspiration has been a courage 
which mocked at fear and courted death. There is no 
American heart which has not shared this noble enthu- 
siasm, within which the sight and even thought of our 
flag has not kindled a glow of patriotic emotion, and 
wakened all its latent poetry. But that flag, lauded, 
loved, and sung — what is it but a piece of bunting, red, 
white, and blue ? Far enough that, surely, from the 
spiritual. Language an externality ! Yes, save when 
charged and vitalized with human thought and human 
emotion. Then it is life and spirit. The statue and the 
painting, when embodying grand ideals, have ceased to 
be material. Our flag, as symbol of national character, 
national history, national all, is no longer a piece of 
bunting, but a glory, almost a protecting divinity. Bap- 
tism, which, viewed in one way, is baldly outward, a mere 
rite and ceremony, viewed otherwise, and truly, is at 
once a language intensely charged v/ith God's richest 
thought and sweetest affection; an incarnation of our 
Redeemer's fondest, brightest ideal ; and the symbol of 
all that makes existence glorious. We are not, therefore, 
led away from the central, moving realities of our holy 
religion by a discussion of baptism. We rather stand 
for an hour in the presence of that form which best re- 
veals to the eye those realities, and most naturally and 
effectually leads to them our spirits. Most unbecoming, 
therefore, would be an apology for speaking to you upon 
baptism. Most unjust to you would be the suspicion 
that 3^ou would not listen with closest attention to what- 
ever would jplace the subject in its true light. 



Christian Baptism. 87 

I have already indicated, that we may use the term 
baptism in a broader sense, and in a more limited sense. 
The latter includes only that which goes to constitute 
the external rite. But this purely external rite, whatever 
it ma}^ or may not be, has its design, and there is a spirit 
befitting its observance. This design and this spirit may 
not be absent from the rite, for without these it is null. 
Our government has prescribed an oath of allegiance, to 
be taken b}^ certain persons. It is ]3lainly essential to 
the complete idea of the oath, both that the prescribed form 
be used, and that it be used for the one express purpose 
of avowing lo37^alty, in all good faith and honesty. The 
form, or external act, required b}^ the government, may, 
in a restricted sense, be called the oath. It is, indeed, a 
part, and an essential part. But as merel}^ external, it is 
the body. There is needed, also, the inspiring soul — the 
indwelling life. So baptism has its body and its soul. 
Baptism, in its fullness, is not body only — is not soul 
only ; but it is body and soul, soul in body, body informed 
by soul. JS'ow, both in thought and in fact, these two 
can be separated. We can conceive of the outward by 
itself, and it is the outward which we are now to discuss. 
In this discussion it must be assumed, that Christ's ap- 
pointments are of divine authority. To this principle v/e 
hold fast throughout. 

1. My first proposition is, that Christ instituted for his 
disciples an external rite called baptism. 

The first meaning of the word institute, as given by 
Webster, is ''to establish, to appoint, to enact, to form 
and prescribe : as to institute laws ; to institute rules 
and regulations.'' The idea is two-fold. It is that of 
both appointment and requirement. It is to designate 
some act, and command its performance, as in legislation. 
A a enactment of Congress is not simply description, but 
also law. In this sense Christ instituted for his disciples 



88 Christian Baptism. 

an outward rite, which was called baptism. He both 
prescribed, or designated, the rite, and commanded its 
observance. He determined the outward act, and made 
it law. 

Plainly, this is not to say, that he originated the act, 
devising something new, and unlike any thing in exist- 
ence before. This conception is by no means necessary. 
Our Congress may enact a law, which, in every essential 
feature, was upon the statute book of the old Hebrews, or 
of the Roman republic, or of the empire of China. It 
matters not where it was first framed. If it is seen to 
meet the wants of our own nation, as a wise and just 
measure, it is taken, adopted, and made the law of this 
land. If no law is found upon the statute books of other 
nations which exactly meets our exigencies, our legis- 
lators are expected to originate a measure. This differ- 
ence in the origin of laws in no respect affects them after 
enactment. By enactment measures are made laws, and 
the whole question of obedience settled. So of a rite 
instituted by our Lord ; we raise no question as to its 
origin. The only question is upon enactment, by which 
the thing prescribed, whether borrowed or unborrowed, 
becomes law. It is, therefore, wholly unnecessary in this 
connection to ask ourselves, whether there existed among 
the Jews, before the Christian era, what is known as 
Proselyte Baptism. It has been affirmed, that such bap- 
tism did exist for those who entered the Jewish congre- 
gation as proselytes from Paganism, and that from this 
the Christian rite was derived. It may be well enough 
to know that a critical and exhaustive examination of 
this subject has recently been made by an eminent Cer- 
man scholar, Schneckenburger ; that he pronounces de- 
cidedly against that earlier origin of the custom ; and 
that he has carried with him the consent of the best 
scholarship of the age. But in this controversy we are 



Christian Baptism.. 89 

not now to involve ourselves. For the same reason it is 
needless to decide whether John's baptism was or was 
not Christian. If he belonged to the Old Dispensation, 
and not to the ]Vew ; if his baptism was introductory and 
preliminary, and not in very truth Christian, — let it be 
granted. ' It does not matter. Our only point is this, 
that a rite known as baptism, new or derived, was pre- 
scribed by our Saviour, and its observance required of 
his followers. Let it also be borne in mind, that we here 
ask.no question concerning the permanence of the insti- 
tuted rite. This subject is postponed for sejDarate notice. 
Whether baptism was to remain only for a time, or per- 
petually, shall receive its answer in due time. Now, the 
single, simple question is, w^hether such a rite was insti- 
tuted for the disciples. 

If my aim were only to state and establish that which 
is in dispute among Christians, and not to exhibit the 
subject in its completeness and proportions ; if it were 
to treat it with reference to the state of opinion and not 
to its own inherent merits, — I might tacitly assume the 
institution of the rite, and pass on to points in litigation ; 
for upon this point there is in Christendom no contro- 
versy deserving mention. And is not this ver}^ unanimity 
among sects, so much at variance upon almost every other 
point, one obvious and striking evidence in proof, that 
Christ did prescribe to the first Christians some outward 
rite called baptism, and require its observance ? It is, 
certainly, an indication of the conclusiveness of the more 
direct testimony. And how, save through such origin, 
could we explain the practice of a rite under that name 
by all branches of the church, from the first times of which 
we have record, not as a mere custom but as an imposed 
law ? This is an effect for which there must have been 
an adequate cause. What cause so naturallj^ suggests 
itself, as the legislation of the Founder of the Church ? 
8* 



go Christian Baptism. 

We consult the records, and find the inference confirmed. 
One part of this confirmation is our Lord's attitude to- 
ward the rite of baptism during his ministry. Such a 
rite — whether identical with the Christian rite, we need 
not determine — we find administered by John the Bap- 
tist. And here we notice, that it is administered b}^ him 
in his official character as precursor and herald of Mes- 
siah, and to such as gave evidence of repentance and in- 
ward fitness to receive and welcome that Messiah. As 
he was a prophet, and more than a prophet, the use of 
this ordinance in these relations betokens more than the 
exercise of his private judgment. There is a significance 
in it which suggests to us, at once a divine origin and a 
divinel}^ determined connection with the dawning re- 
ligion. This significance is emphasized by our Lord's 
submission to the ordinance at his entrance upon his 
public ministry. Whatever may have been the precise 
import of the baptism of Jesus, who was sinless, this 
much is clear, that his act at that time, his requirement 
of John to baptize him because thus it became him to 
fulfill all righteousness, with the descent of the Spirit 
upon him at the waters in dove-like form, — forbid the be- 
lief, that the rite thus honored had not a special connec- 
tion with Christianity. We can hardly refrain from 
interpreting these facts as the adoption of the rite as a 
Christian ordinance to be observed by believers. Surely 
Christ's observance of it at that time, and the revelatioxi 
there made, at once of his spiritual endowment and the 
Father's recognition of him as his beloved Son, or the 
Messiah, when added to John's authority as precursor, 
must have conspired to produce such conviction in the 
minds of the disciples. And besides, we find ever after, 
that Christ speaks of the baptism of John with peculiar 
reverence, and implies its heavenly origin. There is evi- 
dence, also, that his disciples were baptized. It is also 



Christian Baptism. 91 

expressly affirmed, that Jesus baptized, not in Ms own 
person, but by his disciples. He is thus made to sanc- 
tion their action. Their deed is his, and it has the same 
significance as though wrought by himself. The entire 
attitude of our Saviour toward the rite tends strongly to 
the conclusion, that he adopted it as a law of his 
church. 

But even if all thus far produced were to be set aside 
as having no value, there 3^et remain three undeniable 
facts, any one of which, by itself alone, clearly and com- 
pletely proves that Christ did institute the rite. The 
first of these facts is, that when Christ commissioned his 
disciples to jDreach the gospel, he also commissioned and 
commanded them to baptize. " Go ye,'' he says, '' disci- 
ple all nations baptizing them." " He that belie veth, and 
is baptized, shall be saved." Here, directly from our 
Lord's lips, is not merely a recognition of the rite and 
its approval as a proper custom, but the most explicit 
and unequivocal command enforcing its observance. This 
is nothing less than its institution as a law of the church. 
Nor is there any thing in the insertion of this command 
into the last great commission that ought to strike one 
as unnatural. The w^hole attitude of the Saviour toward 
the rite previously, as we have already seen, was in per- 
fect accord. Now, as from the beginning, his kingdom 
is purely spiritual ; but now, as from the beginning, he 
does not forget that the profoundest verities of spirit 
must have fit embodiment. The second fact, which also 
by itself settles this question, is the language of the 
apostles in their teaching after the ascension. When the 
convicted sinner, alarmed and trembling, asked them, 
*'What shall I do to be saved?" their reply was, ''13e- 
^lieve and be baptized, and thou shalt be saved." Those 
who believe that Christ spake not his own words, but the 
words of his Father, need only recall his promises made 



g2 Christian Baptism. 

to these apostles, that the Holy Spirit should bring to 
their remembrance all his words, guide them into all 
truth, give to them the ke^^s of the heavenly kingdom, 
and make them, under him, founders of the everlasting 
church. Their words, therefore, must be taken as equiv- 
alent to Christ's words. They enforced what he commit- 
ted to them. Their enforcement of baptism has, there- 
fore, but one ground. This was committed to them as a 
prescribed observance— a law of the church. The third 
fact, having the same force with each of thp preceding, is 
the apostolic practice. Let us still keep in mind their 
position as related to the head of the church and to the 
church itself. They teach by deeds as well as by words. 
Their practice expounds doctrine. Their unvarying 
practice, as we well know, was to baptize converts. This 
is not only repeatedly mentioned in the Acts, but in the 
Epistles it is several times implied, that all the saints 
addressed were baptized believers. This practice proves 
that Christ instituted the rite. But if this is established 
by each of these three facts singly, their combined force, 
added to all that was before adduced in evidence, makes 
assurance more than trebly sure. We can safely advance 
to a new position. 

2. Christ instituted the rite as a permanent, perpetual 
ordinance. It is not now asserted, that it could never be 
modified. That question shall be reserved for separate 
discussion. This only is intended, that the external rite 
of baptism which our Saviour instituted, was, in some 
form, to be perpetual. This proposition it is easy to prove. 
It would be fair here, as in the preceding case, to use in 
evidence the common consent of all Christendom as man- 
ifested with the slightest exceptions in practice. But we 
need no such testimony, for there is enough that is 
stronger. First, there is nowhere given any limitation. 
The world may be successfull}^ challenged to find in our 



Christian Baptism. pj 

New Testament a sentence which teaches, or a word 
which implies, that this ordinance, in its external charac- 
ter, was to pass awa}^ before the end of time. There is 
the histoiy of its origin. There is the description of 
our Lord's attitude toward it during his ministry. 
There is his command to administer it. There are the 
often-repeated injunctions of his inspired representatives. 
There, also, is the record of their unvarying practice to 
the last. But 3^ou look in A^ain for a word or hint of 
limitation. Has not this fact a meaning ? And is not 
that meaning clear ? When a law is enacted and placed 
on the statute-book, making some prescribed act the duty 
of citizenship, and is there left, with no shadow of re- 
striction either expressed or implied, must it not be 
understood to hold perpetually, unless subsequently 
repealed by the enacting power ? What else is it pos- 
sible to understand ? What else then, I ask, unless we 
would stultify ourselves, can we understand of the divine 
law concerning baptism, when that is enacted, recorded, 
and left thus unrestricted ? This law is surely perma- 
nent, unless repealed. And here now comes in as further 
evidence, and to complete the preceding, the fact that 
there exists in the world no repealing authority. But is 
not God in the world ? And has he no power to repeal 
his own laws ? God is, indeed, everywhere, and there- 
fore here. He can repeal his own laws, provided only 
he has not pledged himself not to repeal them. He can- 
not lie. He cannot, therefore, break his pledge. If it 
were expressly stated by our Saviour that this law was 
to remain in force to the end of the world, this would be 
a pledge that it should not be repealed. Again, if he 
had given us good reason to believe the New Testament 
to be his last revelation to man, a perfect standard of 
faith and practice, to hold and abide while the world 
should stand, this also would be virtually a pledge to the 



p4 Christian Baptism. 

same effect. T may here assume that this last pledge is 
given, for the first sermon of this series established the 
doctrine which involves it. I shall soon proceed to show 
that the other pledge is also given. It is not too much 
then to say, that the repeal of this law has been placed 
b}^ the divine Legislator out of his own power. Has, then, 
the authority to repeal been delegated ? It is clear that 
it could not have been delegated without involving self- 
contradiction on God's part, if it can be shown that he 
has expressly proclaimed its perpetuity. But, though 
this will be soon shown, we may now treat the matter 
without reference to that, and as though no such thing 
could be established. We have already seen that the 
apostles were placed on a peculiar elevation as the in- 
spired rei3resentatives of Christ. But even the^^ had not 
authority to repeal, or annul, Christ's law. Theirs was 
only the power of declaration, confirmation and enforce- 
ment. The promise to them was, " When he the Spirit of 
truth shall come, he shall guide you into all truth. ^ ^ * 
lie shall glorify me ; for he shall receive of mine, and 
shall show it unto you." Exalted as they were, they 
were only exalted in Christ as their head and the head 
of the church — exalted to declare and execute his will, as 
obedient servants, not as coequals, to legislate inde- 
pendently, or to annul his enactments. If apostolic au- 
thority were still resident in the church, or in the officers 
of the church, as Papists maintain, even this would not 
involve the existence of a power to repeal any law of 
Christ. But apostolic authority passed away with apos- 
tles. It resides not in churches nor in individuals. 
There have never since their day been, nor ever shall be, 
prerogatives so near the divine intrusted to men. But 
the authority which does not equal theirs, cannot, surely, 
transcend it. If they might not repeal, how clear that 
to none has the repealing power been delegated. I shall 



Christian Baptism. 95 

now go further, and make good my promise to show that 
God has given the pledge, that the law shall not be re- 
pealed, in that he has expressly declared its i^erpetuity. 
The commission, as recorded by Matthew, runs as fol- 
lows : ''Go 3^e, therefore, and disciple all nations, bap- 
tizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all 
things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo ! I 
am with 3^ou alwaj^, even unto the end of the world.'' 
Here our Lord contemplates the process of evangeliza- 
tion as continuing through time, and expressly promises 
his presence, to the world's end. But he contemplates the 
administration of baptism as coextensive, in both space 
and time, with evangelization. He commands that it be 
made thus coextensive. And what is here expressly 
taught, is fully implied in Mark's narrative, where the 
Lord, in connection with the commission, says : " He 
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." These 
passages are our Lord's declaration of the perpetuity of 
Christian baptism, and God's pledge, that its law shall 
not be repealed. This pledge is involved in Paul's charge 
to Timothy: " The things which thou hast heard of me 
among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful 
men, who shall be able to teach others also." The letters 
of this apostle show that one of these things which Tim- 
othy had heard from his spiritual father, was the law of 
baptism. This he was to keep and commit to others, 
able and faithful to teach still others, and thus to 
make peri3etual the ordinance. And in yet other places 
there is involved in like manner its^ permanence. A 
distinct and emphatic testimony to its perpetuity is fur- 
nished by its relation to the Lord's Supper. These two 
rites were the two halves of one whole. Yitally and in- 
dissolubly connected, they together constitute a solid, 
complete unity. Our natural birth begins our natural 



g6 Christian Baptism. 

life. Our new birth, our new life. Sanctification but 
carries forward toward completion, regeneration. We 
have no natural life without natural birth. We have no 
sanctification without regeneration. JSTow, as will doubt- 
less be shown by another in this course, and as we have 
here a right to assume without pausing to give proof, 
baptism is the symbol of our spiritual birth. The Lord's 
Supper is the symbol of our spiritual life. We may 
change this statement, and say, that baptism is the new 
birth in symbol; the Lord's Supper, the new life in 
symbol. Clearly, as the realities are related, so are the 
symbols. Baptism must precede the Supper, since birth 
precedes life. And so long as the Supper has place, its 
correlate must continue. Any other conception does 
violence to nature. Now, the perpetuity of the Supper 
as an ordinance of God, is established by the arguments 
that have just been used to establish the perpetuity of 
its antecedent. There is, also, a more express and 
pointed affirmation of that perpetuity. ^'As oft as ye 
eat this bread and drink this, cup, ye do show the 
Lord's death, till he come." This coming of the Lord, 
or end of time, is the exact point when the observance 
of this rite is to cease. But, as baptism stands or falls 
with the Supper, that also is the limit of its observance. 
If, now, any thing more were needed to make good our 
position, I would ask, is not the need that gave rise to 
the ordinance, permanent ? The fact symbolized remains 
unaltered. The reasons that in the beginning required 
its symbolic declaration, hold to the end. Must not, 
then, the wisdom which instituted, preserve ? Can it be 
made to appear consistent, that what was originated 
should, under the circumstances, be abandoned? But 
we will not pass from testimony to inference, from the 
certain to the probable. It is safe to leave this point 
where it now is, for I think no thoughtful man can fail 



Christian Baptism. 97 

to feel that the unanimity of the church, touching the 
permanence of baptism as an external rite, is justified, 
nay, is even compelled, by force of evidence. 

3. I shall next show, that this rite — already proved to 
have been divinely instituted, and that as a perpetual ordi- 
nance — as originall}^ given, was the person's immersion in 
water. I say, as originally given it was this. I mean 
that as instituted by Jesus Christ, declared, commanded 
and practiced 'by all the Apostles, it was this, and this 
only. My only aim now is to make good this assertion. 
It is not to decide whether a change was not made at a 
very earl}^ day, or to determine what was the day of the 
change. And as we are now speaking purely of the ex- 
ternal rite, the simple outward act called baptism, it is 
not here the place to determine who are fit subjects, or 
who must administer the ordinance, or with what form 
of words, and in what manner, or what purpose and 
spirit should animate, on the one hand the candidate, on 
the other the administrator. Each of these questions 
deserves attention, and each has its proper answer. But 
they must not come in to mix themselves with the present 
question and create a mental confusion. Our sole, single 
inquiry is. What originally was that external rite called 
baptism ? What constituted it ? The answer given, and 
to be justified, is, the person's immersion in water. I 
am aware that this statement will not command the same 
general assent as do those which have preceded it. Yet 
there is one part of the answer, respecting which there 
will be no less perfect agreement. In defining the exter- 
nal rite, the two words, water and immersion, w^ere used. 
By these words are designated, respectively, the two es- 
sential constituents of the rite. That water was essen- 
tial to the rite is the common belief, and it is my welcome 
duty, first, to disclose the ground of that conviction. 
There are two or three thoughts that could not fail to 
9 



98 Christian Baptism. 

suggest themselves to the mind of one about to open and 
examine the record touching this point, and which, once 
suggested, could not be wholly without influence. The 
first is, that since the fittest emblem of sin is pollution, 
the most suitable thing to be used as an emblem of its 
removal, or of that change which involves its final, com- 
plete removal, would be a cleansing element. Fire is the 
most thorough refiner. But this is used upon metals, 
not upon men. To cleanse men, water is used. This, 
then, would occur to the mind as the most appropriate 
and significant element to be employed in token of an in- 
ward spiritual cleansing. Besides this, we could not but 
bear in mind the well-known fact, that in the East gen- 
erally, and especially among the Jews, where baptism had 
its origin, water was constantly and universally used in 
token of moral cleansing. This also would prepare us, 
on the one hand to anticipate its use by our Lord in his 
symbol of the new birth, and on the other hand to regard 
it as essential to the S3anbol if we found him using it. 
With such considerations in mind we open our New 
Testament, and are not surprised to find water so con- 
stantly, and in such wa^^s, mentioned in connection with 
the rite, as at once to convince us that it was never ad- 
ministered without water. Not onl}^ is the mention of 
water frequent, but there seems to be given to it a cer- 
tain emphatic prominence, often, which harmonizes best 
with the altogether natural theory, that this element is 
indispensable to the rite, essential to its symbolic nature. 
How often is the Jordan mentioned! Once it is said 
that a certain place was chosen for baptism because of 
its abundance of water. The administrator and candi- 
date go down into the water. The eunuch exclaims : 
'' See, here is water ! what doth hinder me to be bap- 
tized ?" Peter asks, " Can au}^ man forbid water, that 
these should not be baptized which have received the 



Christian Baptism. gg 

Holy Ghost as well as we ?'' It is true, that if water had 
been used simpl}^ from convenience, and not because of 
its sj^mbolic significance, we could understand all such 
language ; but I think that few will feel that it would 
then be quite so natural. This interpretation is made 
more sure by a set of passages which seem to ascribe to 
water a regenerating efficac}^ Christ told Kicodemus, 
that a man could not enter the kingdom of God unless 
he was begotten of water and the Spirit. (John iii. 5.) 
Paul wrote that Christ cleansed the church ''by the 
washing of water in the word." (Eph. v. 26.) At another 
time he used these words : ''According to his mercy he 
saved us, by the washing (laver or bath) of regeneration, 
and renewing of the Holy Ghost." To understand such 
language to imj)ly that water, a material agent, has any 
virtue to cleanse from sin the soul, a spiritual agent, 
would be an ofTence not only against reason, but equally 
against the whole drift of Scripture. The spiritual en- 
ergy is seen, and named in its symbol by a kind of pic- 
ture-language, so common and natural. If, now, these 
passages, which I have cited, refer directly to baptism, as 
many first-class interpreters believe, and as to me seems 
most obvious, they give to the element, water, a signifi- 
cance which at once makes it vital and essential to the 
rite. And even if, with other interpreters equally skilled, 
they were not made to refer directly to baptism, but only 
to water as a recognized element of purity, they are 
almost equally decisive ; for they show how the teachers 
of Christianity, including both Christ and the inspired 
apostles, viewed and spoke of the element which they 
also used in the rite which s^^mbolized the new birth. It 
is impossible that they and the disciples at large could 
have had this view of the symbolic import of water, and 
yet not have attached to it significance in the great in- 
itiatory ordinance. But we come now to passages which 



lOO Christian Baptism. 

at once, and by themselves, set the matter at rest. They 
are those which specify baptism, and ascribe to it, as do 
the others to water, a spiritually cleansing power. Ana- 
nias, by Divine direction, went to the converted Saul 
soon after his arrival at Damascus, and delivered to him 
this message : '^ Arise, and be baptized, and wash away 
thy sins, calling upon the name of the Lord.'' (Acts 
xxii. 16.) The cleansing power here ascribed to baptism, 
could, obviously, have been only by virtue of the element 
in which it was administered. There was nothing in the 
rite, but the water, which could have contained or sug- 
gested the notion of cleansing. In Peter's first Epistle 
is another passage still more explicit. After stating that 
Noah and his family were' saved in the ark by water, he 
adds, in effect ; '' which element in its antitype, baptism, 
saves you also." (1 Pet. iii. 21.) Here water is expressly 
designated as that in baptism which saves us. It could 
not be more strongly declared to be an essential con- 
stituent of the rite. Of like import and clearness is the 
exhortation in Heb. x. 22, 23 : " Having our bodies 
washed with pure v/ater, let us hold fast the profession 
of our faith without wavering." With good reason, 
therefore, has the church, from the earliest times, in all 
its divisions, held fast the idea, that purity of heart 
was expressed to the eye in baptism by the use of 
water. Thus far they remain true to the doctrine of 
Christ. 

It remains now to prove, that immersion was also 
originally essential to the rite. This is not to say, that 
it was or is essential to salvation, but only, as the use of 
water was one constituent of the rite, so also its use by 
immersion was the second constituent, like the first, es- 
sential, inseparable, and indispensable. And here it will 
at once occur to every mind, that immersion is only a 
mode of using water. I do not say a mode of applying 



Christian Baptism. loi 

it, for it can hardly be said to be applied, except when 
taken and either sprinkled or poured upon the person. 
The phrase, ''mode of application, '^ has arisen from an- 
other practice than that of the original Christian baptism. 
Still, though this phraseology, which has sometimes been 
made to play no unimportant part in so-called argument 
upon this theme, be disallow^ed as inaccurate, it is yet 
true, and must be conceded, that immersion is only a 
mode of using or employing water. But, as soon as this 
is conceded, there arises the question, how can mere 
mode, or manner, be essential to a thing, and one of its 
constituents ? Does not this involve an absurdity and 
self-contradiction? With great energy and frequency 
this question has been answered in the affirmative ; and 
this answer has been made the basis, sometimes of pity 
for Baptist blindness, and sometimes of indignation at 
Baptist bigotry. If there really is absurdity and self- 
contradiction necessarily involved in making mode con- 
stitute in part the essence of a thing, the proposition 
which I have x^romised to prove is self-destructive, admit- 
ting neither confirmation nor refutation. But it does not 
involve a self-contradiction. It is therefore not self- 
destructive. And it does admit of confirmation. It 
does not involve any absurdity, for mode or form is not 
necessarily without character, and may be itself the 
thing prescribed. But, if the thing prescribed is in 
whole or in part a form, then surely of that thing form 
belongs to the essence. Take, for example, the signal- 
service, by which the movements of a fleet are deter- 
mined and the issues of battle decided. If the code 
prescribes that a flag of a given form shall have a given 
meaning, is the form nothing ? Is the form non-essen- 
tiol ? Let the signal officer disregard the form, and dis- 
play a flag of difierent pattern ! It was only form that 
he disregarded, but he has caused disaster. Or, let the 



I02 Christian Baptism. 

law prescribe tliat a given motion of the flag shall be un- 
derstood to mean a given thing. That is but a mode of 
using the flag. Does it, therefore, not belong to the 
essence of the signal ? It is the signal. The mode is 
the thing. So a nod of the head, and a shake of the 
head, are each only a waj^, or mode of its use, but the 
chili is not long in learning that they are by no means 
interchangeable. It is, therefore, not random talk to call 
immersion essential to the external rite known as bap- 
tism ; nor is it a bewilderment of the logical faculty to 
undertake to prove the same. 

There are two separate points to be established. The 
first is, that in administering the rite, immersion was 
originally practiced ; and the second, that this immersion 
was itself of the essence of the rite. And here, also, 
before hearing the more direct evidence, one or two 
thoughts will suggest themselves, which ought not to be 
wholly without influence. One of these is, that in the 
person's immersion, and immediate consequent emersion, 
there is an obvious natural fituess to body forth forcibly 
to the e^^^e vital truth connected with the spiritual birth. 
If this change were only an inward cleansing, without 
reference to Jesus Christ, and quite independent of any 
known facts in his historj^, the mere s^anbol of purifica- 
tion might be thought to cover the whole ground. But 
there are these two grand facts — the Saviour's sacrificial 
death ; the Saviour's triumphal resurrection. The genu- 
ine Christian consciousness can never suffer these to fall 
into the back ground in his remembrance of the new birth. 
He becomes a new creature, not in his solitary separate 
self, but in Christ Jesus, the crucified and risen. To these 
external facts corres^^ond the two chief phases of his in- 
ward experience. He dies to self, to the world, to sin ; 
he rises in newness of life, to holiness and to God, in 
Jesus Christ. Now, both these outward facts in our 



Christian Baptism. 103 

divine Lord's life, and both these corresponding facts in 
the soul's own inward experience, are beautifully and 
forcifally expressed by immersion and emersion. Neither 
of them are even hinted at by the simple symbol of 
purity. Is it not as easy for the Christian heart to con- 
ceive, that a rite which Divine wisdom should institute 
to express the new birth, would leave unnoticed the idea 
of purity, as that it would wholly pass by these other 
sublime verities ? Another thought is, that in a rite 
whose design it was to express silentl}^ to the eye invisi- 
ble realities, the mode of using the element was a feature 
of too much prominence to be without significance. It 
would be quite as natural to believe the element destitute 
of meaning. How striking this circumstance of mode ! 
How diverse and unlike the different possible modes ! 
What scope for the introduction of confusion, and the 
loss of original vmity, if the mode had been declared 
valueless ! Such thoughts as these ought not to be with- 
out force in our examination of testimony. In confirma- 
tion of our first point, namely, that immersion, and that 
only, was originally practiced, stands at the beginning 
the undeniable fact, that the vf ord baptism in all its other 
uses means immersion. Sane and intelligent men, when 
soberh^ discoursing in a language vdth which they are 
perfectl}^ familiar, are accustomed to use words in their 
proper and established meanings. An English writer, 
attempting in good faith to describe to his readers the 
act of crying, would not invariably use the word laugh. 
At least the presumption would be, that he meant what 
he said. He who denied would have to make good his 
denial, or stultify himself Still stronger is the case when 
several persons, equally intelligent, agree in describing 
the same familiar act by the same familiar word. If ten 
witnesses, independent and trustworthy,^, were to relate 
the destruction of a certain city by a great fire, could 



I04 Christian Baptism. 

Rnj tiling be more preposterous than the assertion, that, 
in fact, it was a flood which they intended. And how 
would the case be still strengthened, if different witnesses 
were speaking under Divine inspiration, describing some 
act of great religious import, and enjoining it upon 
others as a duty for them solemnly to perform. Can lan- 
guage describe the boldness which, without convincing 
proof, would deny to a term, uniformly used under such 
circumstances, its fixed meaning, and affix to it an oppo- 
site signification ? 'Now, the Greek language has a word 
which means to immerse. The most exhaustive and 
critical examination of its use in all other known con- 
nections has repeatedl^^ been made, but not an instance 
has been found where it could be made to appear, that it 
did not involve the idea of immersion. It holds in the 
Greek exactly the same place that the word immersion 
holds in the English. Even the j)rimary word from which 
it is derived, is proved to have with equal uniformity the 
conception of dipping, or submerging, in all its uses. I 
shall not weary 3^ou with an array of authorities, nor 
conduct you through a tedious examination. I state only 
that which is well established, and, by intelligent scholars, 
well understood. Now, in this same Greek language there 
is a word equally explicit to denote the act of sprinkling, 
another to designate pouring, another which means to 
wash, and another signifjdng to cleanse. These are all 
common words, as well known to one who can speak 
Greek, as even the English terms to an}^ one of us. The 
word which means to immerse is jSaTif u^scv (baptizein), the 
noun meaning immersion i5d7itici/xa (baptisma). We find 
in our Euglish Bible these terms, not translated, but 
transferred. Now, are we to be told, that as often as the 
different inspired writers use the word baptism, or im- 
mersion, they mean sprinkling, or pouring, or cleansing ? 
Why will a man, how can a man, venture to deny that tho 



Christian Baptism. 105 

writers of the K'ew Testament meant immerse when they 
said immerse ? It is not because tliere is any evidence 
compelling the perversion, for every candid scholar, who 
knows any thing of the controversy upon this point, is 
aware, that not even a plausible objection has as yet been 
urged against the literal and established sense of the 
word. I have no heart to touch upon those puerilities, 
the pretence of a scarcity of water, in a city abounding 
in baths ; the pretence of lack of time to accomplish 
what is reported to have been done, when the notion of 
such lack has often been shown to be utterly groundless, 
and when the objection is also equally valid against 
sprinkling or pouring — for immersion, as a sacred rite, 
can be decently performed as rapidly as can either of the 
others ; or that other pretence, which never had even a 
shadow of support, that the term baptize had become en- 
tirely emptied of all significance except to denote a sacred 
rite ; or those other half dozen pretences, yet more ab- 
surd, which misguided ingenuity in the interest of party 
has succeeded during some centuries of effort in invent- 
ing and raking together. 

This testimoii}^, from the meaning of the word bap- 
tism, is corroborated hy the descriptions of the adminis- 
tration of the ordinance. Ma^rk writes, that Jesus was 
baptized by John '' into the Jordan. '^ True, our English 
version has it ''in Jordan," but the Greek is ''into." 
Now, it is quite natural to speak of immersing a man 
^' into" the river, but how would you sprinkle or pour him 
into the stream ? This, however, is the only passage 
where the preposition into stands in such connection ; 
and, if there were any necessity, it might be understood 
as a condensed mode of saying, that Christ went into the 
Jordan, and was then baptized. But there is no reason 
for giving it another than its obvious interpretation. The 
preposition in is the one which commonly connects the 



io6 Christian Baptism. 

word baptism with the element. 'No other is used, except 
in the single instance already adduced. Dr. Hovey, in 
some unpublished notes, says, that, besides the instance 
just noticed, ''the element of baptism is mentioned six- 
teen times in the New Testament. In ten of these it is 
water, and in six it is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit 
is always in the dative, and preceded by h ; water is 
likewise always in the dative, and preceded by iv in seven 
cases out of ten." (Cf. also 1 Cor. x. 2.) Accepting 
these results of his careful investigation, their bearing 
can easily be seen. The dative case, which is three times 
used without the preposition iv, expresses the sphere in 
which a thing is done, as well as the instrument by which. 
The preposition iv (in), with the dative, must be under- 
stood to express "the sphere in which," unless there is 
some decisive reason for giving it another meaning. Its 
first, natural, and common meaning is this. It is clear 
that the idea of immersion is decidedly favored by these 
passages, especially when it is remembered that never is 
the Greek words for luith or by, employed in such con- 
nections. It is more natural to speak of immersing in 
water than of sprinkling or pouring in water. We 
sprinkle, but not pour, a person with water ; or yet more 
accurately, we sprinkle or pour water upon a person. 
But the Greek writers never speak of baptizing one with 
or by water, much less of baptizing water apon one. 
With this exactl}^ agrees the circumstance, that candidates 
are said to have gone down into -the water. ISTo good 
reason was ever yet assigned for such an act, unless they 
were to be immersed after they had gone down. But the 
case is made yet clearer by passages which speak of the 
selection of certain places for baptism because of the 
abundance of water. John selected Enon for this reason, 
and frequent mention is made of the Jordan. There is 
no one feature of any of the recorded descriptions which 



Christian Baptism. 107 

does not harmonize entirely with the theory of immer- 
sion, nor is there one feature which favors the notion of 
sprinkling or affusion. Further corroborating evidence 
is contained in references to the symbolic import of bap- 
tism. I have already noticed those passages which show 
that purity was symbolized. There are others, entirely 
different, which show that purity was not the only fact 
expressed. In Rom. vi. 3-5, Paul writes : " Know ye 
not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus 
Christ, were baptized into his death ? Therefore we are 
buried with him by baptisln into death ; that like as Christ 
was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, 
even so we also should walk in newness of life ; for if we 
have been planted together in the likeness of his death, 
we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.'' 
Again, in Col. ii. 12, he speaks of being ''buried with 
Christ in baptism," and also ''raised with him'' in it. 
These j)assages teach, with all possible plainness, that 
baptism was understood by the apostle to represent to 
the eye a burial and a resurrection. This is here declared 
to be a part of its symbolic design, with no less clearness 
and force than elsewhere purity is declared to be ex- 
pressed. But by no use of water is a burial and resur- 
rection exhibited, except by an immersion and an imme- 
diate consequent emersion. TsTo man needs any comment 
upon this plain language of the apostle ; but, if comment 
were desired, it is at hand ; for the scholarship of the 
church, past and present, with only the feeblest contro- 
versial dissent, has affirmed that in these cases immersion 
must be presupposed as Christian baptism. If further 
evidence were needed, it is furnished in the fact that the 
early church, after the apostles, knew no baptism but im- 
mersion, and that, as is well known, the Greek church 
still retains immersion. Dr. Conant, in his invaluable 
*' Critical and Philological Notes," at the end of his re- 



io8 Christian Baptism. 

vised version of the Gospel by Matthew, has collected in 
the original Greek of the church Fathers, their language, 
as it was that of the New Testament writers, and has 
translated into English a multitude of passages which 
show the position of the early church upon this matter. 
To these, he says, many others of the same tenor might 
have been added. What their tenor is, will sufficiently 
appear from a single example, which is a fair representa- 
tive. Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem, in the last half of the 
fourth century, writes : '^ For as Jesus assuming the sins 
of the world died, that having slain sin he might raise 
thee up in righteousness ; so also thou, going down into 
the water, and in a manner buried in the waters, as he in 
the rock, art raised again, walking in newness of life.'' 
Very many eminent scholars, in churches which practice 
sprinkling or affusion, have borne strong testimony to the 
fact, that originally only immersion was known. The 
language of Calvin, in his comment upon Jn. iii. 23, is as 
follows : ^' From these words it may be inferred that 
baptism was administered by John and Christ by plung- 
ing the whole body under water. >k ^k ;jc Here we 
perceive how baptism was administered among the an- 
cients, for they immersed the whole body in water." 
This fairly represents the admission of a multitude of 
this class. Would such and so many men have borne 
witness against themselves, except compelled to it by the 
weight of evidence ? All these facts which have been 
adduced must forever stand a full and sufficient justifica- 
tion of the assertion, that baptism, as originally prac- 
ticed, was immersion. They constitute a defence never 
to be shaken by the petty objections which, in Liliputian 
mimicry of war, are marshaled and arrayed against 
them. There are some who try to ignore this solid granite 
mountain of truth. Like certain animals which burrow 
in the ground, they dig a little way into the looser cover- 



Christian Baptism. 109 

ing whicli is over the rock, and when they have thus 
buried themselves, cry out, that they see no such moun- 
tain. 

We have next to show, that the immersion originally 
practiced was of the essence of this rite, and not a mere 
accident. Here recall the two preliminary considerations 
already noticed : the first, that of the natural fitness of 
immersion to constitute such part; the second, the 
antecedent improbability that a feature so important 
should be merely accidental. Add to these the signifi- 
cant fact, that the very name of the rite is immersion. 
How unreasonable that intelligent men, and especially if 
inspired, should name the initiatory and perpetual rite of 
the church from a mere accident of that rite, and not 
from that which pertained to its essence. Every one 
would expect that its name would have been a word con- 
taining the idea of water, or at least of cleansing, if wate?^ 
had been the only essential thing. Still further, if water 
alone were essential, and the mode of its use quite indif- 
ferent, why was the most difficult, and, as some allege, 
indelicate mode adopted and employed ? Is it of the 
genius of Christianity to impose upon its i^rofessors 
needless and senseless burdens ? And yet, once more, 
why, when the apostle gave an interpretation of the spir- 
itual import of the rite, did he once and again in his epis- 
tles, and, without doubt, habitually in oral instruction, 
seize upon the mode, to the entire omission of the ele- 
ment ? Did he coldly purpose to mislead ? or was he 
ignorant ? There can be no other reason for his course 
than that immersion was then essential to the rite — a 
constituent and inseparable part of it. I trust that the 
assertion has been made good, that the divinely instituted 
and perpetual rite of baptism, as originally given, was 
the immersion of the candidate in water ; that the ele- 
10 



no Christian Baptism. 

ment water, and the immersion with the consequent emer- 
sion, were both and equally essential to that rite. 

4. Let us now advance together one step further. The 
divine, perpetual rite as instituted was never to he al- 
tered. There are three conceivable grounds, any one 
of which might justify, or be supposed to justify, an 
alteration. The first is an express command or permis- 
sion : the second, the lodgement in the church, or some 
part of it, of a power to change the rite at will ; the third, 
its little importance. No command or permission to change 
the ordinance has ever been found, unless such permission 
or command exist in the impossibility or impropriety of 
its administration in its original character. Those who 
are j)leased to stigmatize immersion as indelicate, unbe- 
coming, and improper, unfitted to the refinements of our 
modern civilization, and therefore to be set aside for 
something more genteel and elegant, are, ^Derhaps, honest, 
are surely silly. To set their taste above Christ's law, 
would be monstrous, if it were not ridiculous. As to the 
impossibility of immersing, it does sometimes exist. 
Persons who are proper subjects are sometimes too feeble 
or otherwise unfitted to observe the ordinance. But 
what is the rational view to take of these cases ? Is it, 
that for such persons another and different rite shall be 
substituted, or, rather, that these persons are, by divine 
providence, for the time excused from performing the 
outward act, and, instead of that, the inward disposition 
is accepted ? The question carries its own answer. But 
how much more emphatic would be this answer, if it were 
claimed, that the inability of a few exceptional persons to 
be immersed justified such substitution, not for these 
only, but for the whole body of believers, sick and well, 
lame and sound. This would be a leap of logic astound- 
ing, bewildering. But it is said, that there are countries 
too cold to allow immersion j and, as Christ's religion 



Christian Baptism. ill 

was for the race, he must have intended that the rite 
should be modified to make it tolerable. In this, then, 
is the divine permission. Permission for what ? xs^ot 
merely to excuse those of the cold clime from the outward 
act, which impossibility of j)erformance would certainly 
justif}^ Is it then in these spe'viial cases to substitute 
another act in its place for them ? jSTo ; it is even worse ; 
it is a permission to give another rite to the whole church, 
in frigid, temperate, and torrid zones. But where are 
those regions whose cold makes immersion impracticable ? 
The practice of the Greek church shows that they form 
no habitable part of this earth. Are they, then, on the 
dark side of the moon ? I suspect they lie somewhere 
in the drear imagination of partisan objectors. This 
ground of divine ]3ermission or command to change 
Christ's ordinance is supported by no argument which 
can fairly be called respectable, even if courtesy shall 
concede the name of argument. 

How, next, is it with that second ground, the lodgement 
in the church or its offi cers of an authority to change the 
ordinance at discretion ? Does it not require precisely 
the same authority to change a law that it does to repeal ? 
and the same to either change or repeal that it does to 
enact ? Has Christ delegated this authority ? We have 
alread}^ found the answer. We saw that not even to 
apostles was such authority delegated. How much less 
to their successors or the church of subsequent time! 

And now can I speak soberly and temperately of that 
other supposed ground for changing God's law, to wit : 
its little importance. '^ Only a form ;" '' Merel}^ exter- 
nal ;" ''Kot essential ;" ^'A mere question of the amount 
of water." Is it possible that men, who call Christ Lord, 
can use such a plea to justify a known change of his sa- 
cred ordinance ? Are they really in earnest ? Why do 
they not say of the Bible, ''It is made up only of words 



112 Christian Baptism. 

and sentences? Words are but trifles. Why be so 
scrupulous to retain them, just as they came from the pen 
of inspiration ? ^'Phariseeism! Bondage! Judaism! Let 
us, in the free Catholic spirit, which is the very genius of 
Christianity, drop a letter here, a word there, and a sen- 
tence elsewhere. Let us at will add and change, for ele- 
gance, convenience, or utility. The letter Idlleth, but the 
spirit giveth life. The letter killeth ! Then kill the letter. '' 
ISI ! Christian men dare not thus reason of the written 
word. They well know that to kill the letter, is to kill 
the indwelling spirit. How, then, dare they reason thus 
of that grand symbolic, pictorial language, in which our 
Lord incarnated, and visibly bodied forth to the view of 
the race, the central sublime verities of his holy religion ? 
If possible, the sin is greater in the case of the rite than 
in that of the written word. The rite is alone, solitary. 
In the word, a multitude of passages contain the same 
ground truth. Tlie rite is a summary, gathering into 
itself many truths. Often the word holds but one feature 
of one truth. The rite embodies verities which are at the 
very centre. Much of the Bible treats of exterior truth. 
But worse though the sin be, in some of its features, yet 
in principle it is just the same. It is vicious in the ex- 
treme. It degrades the authority of Christ. Suppose 
the rite worthless. You bid 3^our child take from the 
floor a pin ; may he disobey you because it is a pin, and 
not a diamond ? It degrades the wisdom of Christ. Is 
he to be charged with the institution, and the perpetual 
requirement, of a trivial or worthless rite ? It degrades 
the judgment, and outrages the Christian consciousness 
of the whole family of Christ ; for the church deems the 
rite invaluable — her heart cherishes it as a sacred legacy. 
But, if it is so unimportant that one of its constituents 
may be cast aside, then, either or both may be rejected, 
and the whole ordinance discarded. There is, there can 



Christian Baptism. 113 

be, no ground which justifies any, the least change of 
that which belonged to the essence of the rite ; hence no 
ground which will justify the substitution either of 
another element in place of water, or of another use of 
water in place of immersion. Ever^^ argument which we 
saw binding the church to retain the ordinance of bap- 
tism, and all these arguments combined which the church 
so unanimously and heartil}^, in word and practice, pro- 
nounce invincible, equally bind it to retain the rite as it 
was instituted. Indeed, not otherwise does she retain 
Christ's ordinance, but substitutes another and diJfferent. 
The command to observe it, given without any kind of 
limitation, expressed or implied ; the non-existence of 
even the shadow of authority to repeal ; the express de- 
claration of its perpetuity to the end of time ; its relation 
to the Lord's Supper, which by independent evidence is 
shown to be perpetual ; and the continuance to the last 
of the same need which originated — all these, severally 
and conjointl}^, lift up the clear, articulate, solemn voice 
of authorit}^, and command the church and the world to 
lay no desecrating hand upon God's ordinance, or change 
in the least his abiding decree. These all warn the erring 
to return to the right w^ay, and those in that way to turn 
not one hair's breadth to right or left. 

But too long already have I detained you with this 
discussion. Here let us pause, and by rapid glance mark 
the stages which we have traveled together, wearily per- 
haps, yet I trust with profit. The Christian religion is 
spiritual, yet it admits of expression by the language of 
symbol. The symbol may be external rite. The rite 
known as baptism, viewed in its purely external charac- 
ter, was taken as our theme. In the treatment of this 
theme we came to our present position by the following 
successive steps. Christ's appointments are of Divine 
authority. He instituted an external rite, known as bap- 
10^ 



114 Christian Baptism. 

tism, to be observed by his disciples. This rite was de- 
signed by liim to be permanent. There were originally 
two essential constituents in the ontward rite — the one 
water, used as the s3anbol of purity ; the other immersion, 
with the consequent emersion, as the symbol of burial 
and resurrection. The rite was absolutely unalterable 
in each and both of its constituents. These positions, 
severally and collectively, I believe must commend them- 
selves to the candid and thoughtful, as true and scrip- 
tural. While held, they bind us to our good old Baptist 
faith and practice. If they are wrong, let it be proved. 
We will then gladly abandon them, though each is now 
dear to our hearts, because we believe each to be true. 
Discussion — fair, candid, earnest. Christian — we should 
never fear, should ever court. If the positions are right, 
we must maintain them, defend them, proclaim them, not 
indeed as Baptists, but as Christians. Far be it from the 
disciple of him who styled himself ^'the Truth," to 
cherish a partisan spirit in matters of Christian faith. 
In so far as we have attained, we have '' One Lord, one 
Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of all, who is 
above all, and through all, and in all." Wherein we 
have not attained, whether in spirit or in forms, be it 
ours to '' reach forth toward the things that are before, 
and press forward toward the mark for the prize of the 
high calling of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Thus 
shall '' we all come into the unity of the faith and of the 
knowledge of the Son of God." Then, sometime in the 
fair future, the sun shall look down from the pure 
heavens, not upon a church ruptured, dissevered with 
jealous, jarring, warring members, but upon a church 
bound together, not by the external bands of ecclesiasti- 
cal or State legislation, but by those softer jet stronger 
cords of a pure Christian faith and an imperishable 
Christian love 



TV. 

BAPTISM A SYMBOL. 

m 

By GEO. D. BOAEDMAN, D.D., 

Pastor of First Baptist Church, Philadelphia. 

" And now, why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy 
SINS, calling on the name of the Lord." — Acts xxii. 16. 

*' Know ye not, that so many of ds as were baptized into Jesus Christ were 
baptized into his death ? Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism 

INTO DEATH ; THAT LIKE AS ChRIST WAS Rx^ISIiD UP FROM THE DEAD BY THE GLORY 

OF THE Father, ev^en so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we 

HAVE been planted TOGETHER IN THE LIKENESS OF HIS DEATH, WE SHALL BE ALSO 
IN THE LIKENESS OF HIS RESURRECTION." — RoTflianS Vi. 3-5. 

** Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him.'' — Colossiar^- 
ii. 12. 

** All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables ; and without 

A PARABLE SPAKE HE NOT UNTO THEM." — MaWieW xiii. 34. 

I. In this world of ours, where spirit and matter are 
joined in mysterious wedlock, truth unexpressed is but 
half a truth. She does not become whole and triumphant 
till she issues forth in symbol. It is an epoch, then, for 
Truth when she finds complete expression ; for thus alone 
is her latent omnipotence liberated. 

We loiter not to account for this fact ; we only ask 
you to note the fact itself ''It is difficult," says the 
Guest in the Statesman of Plato, " fully to exhibit greater 
things without the use of patterns ;" and Lord Bacon 
declares that '' as hieroglyphics came before* letters, so 
parables came before arguments. And even now, if any 
one wish to let new light on any subject into men's minds, 
and that without ofience or harshness, he must still go 
the same way, and call in the aid of similitudes.'"^ Truth 

* Bacon's Works, vol. xiii., p. 80. 

(115) 



ii6 The Symbolism of Baptism. 

unexpressed is to human beings as though she were not. 
Truth expressed is the crowned conqueror of the eterni- 
ties, and symbols are her coronation robes. 

That God in communicating with tlie race proceeds 
on this principle, that truth in order to be seen and 
realized as truth must be expressed, is evident on every 
hand. Glance at some illustrations. 

1. Look, first, at nature herself. That man has studied 
nature to but little purpose who has not learned that one 
of her chief ministries to her Divine Lord is to furnish 
forms, vehicles, symbols, for his truth. The question 
which Milton puts into the mouth of Kaphael is not alto- 
gether puerile : 

^^What if earth 
Be but the shadow of heaven, and things therein 
Each to other like, more than on earth is thought ?" 

The universe is one grand school, teaching man's soul 
by countless and pregnant analogies, patterns, s^anbols, 
parables. What though man perceives not its lessons ? 
Is it any the less a school because he is dull, or perverse, 
and will not learn ? Oh ! it needs no poet's eye — only 
the thoughtful man's — to perceive that the universe is one 
vast temple of divine hieroglyphs, teaching the observant 
scholar gravest lessons of duty and obedience, love and 
sacrifice. The things on earth are patterns of the things 
in heaven. On all God's works are written God's truths, 
discoursing, in emblem and type, of divine power and 
wisdom, goodness and righteousness, greatness and pa- 
tience ; of-'man's responsibility, and sin, and duty, and 
destin}^ ; of death, resurrection, judgment, immortality, 
heaven, hell. Nature, from atom to star, is one mighty 
parable of God to man, illustrating for him, by her mani- 
fold laws, and forces, and activities, and shows the sacred 
words which the Spirit has given to holy chroniclers and 
poets, prophets and evangelists, and preaching in a uni- 



The Symbolism of Baptism. 117 

versa! tongue through her countless phenomena of birth 
and death, growth and decay, sleeping and Ts^aking, sow- 
ing and reaping, light and darkness, mountain and ocean, 
numbers and spaces, universal gravitation and chemical 
affinity. Herein, in fact, is the significance of the soul's 
earthly life ; herein, a final cause of her insertion among 
the manifold parables of nature, among its emblematic 
forces, and movements, and phenomena, that she may be 
educated unto God's glory, and her own perfectness in 
eternity. 

2. Ascending, now, into the higher range of super- 
natural revelation, we are not surprised to find the same 
symbolic element thorough!}^ permeating all Holy Scrip- 
ture, from the account of the arrangement of the first 
chaos into order beneath the brooding wind of God, em- 
blematic of the arrangement of the soul's chaos into 
order beneath the brooding of the same Divine wind, or 
Spiritus, down to the types and figures of the world to 
come, beheld in Apocal^qDtic vision. Look at the Old 
Testament economy. See how densely packed it is with 
type and S3'mbol; v\'ith typical localities, as Eden, Egypt, 
Sinai, Jerusalem ; with tjqoical personages, as Adam, 
Cain, Abel, Melchisedek, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, 
Moses, Joshua, David, Zerubbabel ; with typical events, 
as the Deluge, the Call of Abraham, the Ofi'ering of 
Isaac, the Wrestling of Jacob, the Bondage in Egj^pt, 
the Passover by the Destroying Angel, the Exodus, 
the Wilderness Wandering, the Passage of the Jordan, 
the Settlement in - Canaan, the Babylonian Captivity, 
the Restoration ; with typical objects, as Jacob's Ladder, 
the Burning Bush, the Pillar of Cloud and of Fire, 
the Manna, the Smitten Rock, the Brazen Serpent, 
the Tabernacle, the Outer Court, the Laver, the Altar 
of Incense, the Candlestick, the Vail, the Holy of Holies, 
the Ark of the Covenant, the Mercy-Seat, the Cherubim; 



ii8 The Symbolism of Baptism. 

with typical rites, as Circumcision, Lustration, Da}^ of 
Atonement, Sacrifice, Sprinkling of Blood, Imposition 
of Hands, Scapegoat, and the like, almost endlessly. 
Whatj in fact, is this entire Old Testament economy but 
a magnificent scheme of symbol ; or, as the writer of the 
Epistle to the Hebrews, in one all-comprehending word, 
describes it, parable ?* 

3. Nor, when we ascend into the still higher range of 
the iSTew Testament, do we escape, as is sometimes imag- 
ined, the dominion of symbol. Look, for instance, at the 
characteristic method of Jesus as a teacher ; and surely, 
if ever man taught with authority, it was he. See how 
commonly and naturally his doctrines take on a parable 
or symbol form. Erase from the gospels all that he has 
said in form of parable, and figure, and metaphor, leaving, 
as the record of his teaching, onl}^ what he taught in 
direct statements, and you will be amazed at the com- 
parative meagreness of the residue; and you will feel 
that his biographers speak the truth when they say that 
without a parable spake he not unto the people. 

4. And, finall}^, Jesus himself, the Son of God incar- 
nated in the Son of Man, is himself the symbol of sym- 
bols, being himself the manifestation of the divine in the 
human, or the Word of God — that is, God's thought, and 
feeling, and character, expressed to men, the image of the 
invisible God.f 

We state, then, as the result of our survej^ of nature 
and of Holy Scripture, that God's well-nigh universal 
method of declaring truth is by means of symbol, this 
being its form, vehicle, and interpreter. Perhaps I should 
say, without qualification, his universal method ; for all 
expression, whether in form of speech, or writing, or act, 
or phenomenon, is really symbol. Truth, in order to be 

'i-- Ileb. ix. 9. t Col. i. 15. 



The Symbolism of Baptism. 119 

recognized and felt as truth, must take on some kind of 
form, and come out into aspect or expression. 

II. Accordingly, when a human being, having btsen 
morall}^ subdued by the most stupendous events which 
have occurred in this world's history, and made conscious 
in his own experience of a personal change so radical 
that he cannot call it less than a new birth, or second 
creation, wishes to declare these mighty truths, the strong 
presumption is raised in advance, that God, who has a 
sjanbol for his truth every where else, will also have a 
sj^mbol for his truth here. So transcendent are the facts 
and truths involved in the act of regenerating a man's 
moral nature ; so stupendous are the consequences, in 
space and time, flowing from it ; so express are God's 
commands, that he who experiences these great truths 
should make them known to others, that we should un- 
hesitatingly predict, in advance, that God would provide 
for these truths a special S3^mbol, which should be as im- 
pressive as it is expressive ; for, in fact, no truth can 
make impression till it has expression. 

Let us now suppose that some one is standing before 
us as a candidate for membership in a church. He has 
just passed through this transcendent process of regen- 
eration, and now wishes to make public confession of his 
faith. What are the leading truths, as connected with 
this great event of regeneration, which he w^ould naturally 
wish to express ? 

1. The first is confession of sinfulness. 

There are two figures or types under which Holy Scrip- 
ture chiefly sets forth its conception of sin. 

(a.) The first is that of death. We stay not to point 
out the frightful accuracy of the figure ; we simplj^ direct 
your attention to it. Whatever there is painful and re- 
pulsive in the spectacle of a corpse ; its unnatural dis- 
figurement ; its insensibility to sight, and sound, and 



I20 The Symbolism of Baptism. 

touch, and love ; its utter, unending helplessness ; its 
corruption and loathsomeness — all this is taken in Scrip- 
ture as the portraiture of the sinner. He is " dead in 
trespasses and sins." '^ The soul that sinneth, it shall 
die." " In the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely 
die." ''The wages of sin is death."* Throughout Scrip- 
ture, death and sin, as type and anti-tjq^e, evermore walk 
together in ghastly, inseparable wedlock. In making public 
confession of his sinfulness, then, this candidate, standing 
before us, would naturally, first of all, wish to set forth in 
sj-mbol his belief in the Scriptural teaching, that sin is 
death. How, then, shall he symbolize to others his con- 
fession that he has been spiritually dead — buried in the 
sepulchre of sin ? 

(5.) The other most frequent Scriptural designation of 
sin is that it is uncleanness. How thoroughly this con- 
ception of sin, as being a state of impurit}^, defilement, 
pollution, i^ervades the Scripture, is evident from the 
immense stress laid by the Mosaic ritual on the necessity 
of guarding against all manner of ceremonial defilement. 
Particularly w^ere all dead bodies, and those diseases 
which might be described as a living death, marked ofi* 
as unclean, to be regarded as special types of the filth 
of sin. So contaminating was sin conceived to be, that 
whatever came in slightest contact with a dead body 
was defiled, and needed, whether it were animal, or man, 
or garment, or article of furniture, rites of purgation. 
iS'or does this idea of uncleanness fall out in the 'Ne^y 
Testament conception of sin. -Rather is it intensified. 
Under the old covenant, sin, regarded as a defiled and 
defiling principle, was surveyed chiefl}^ in its outY>^ard, 
ceremonial, phenomenal aspects. Under the new cove- 
nant sin is set forth, as an inward defilement, being filthi- 

. * Ephes. ii. 1; Ezek. xviii. 4; Gen. ii. 17; Rom. vi. 23. 



The Symbolism of Baptism. 121 

ness of soul. Xot that which goeth into a man cTeiileth 
him, but that which cometh out of him — this defileth a 
man. For from within, out of the heart, proceed CAil 
thoughts, adulteries, thefts, blasphemy, deceit, pride, 
foolishness. These are the evil things which, coming 
from within, defile a man."^ The state of sin, there- 
fore, is a state of uncleanness as well as of death. 
And precisely this it is which this candidate for the 
church, brought under the illuminating, regenerating 
influences of the Spirit, most keenly feels. With him 
sin is something more than a gloomy idea : it is a posi- 
tive defilement. It is something more than an accidental 
flesh injury: it is a hereditary taint. It is something 
more than a superficial spot or stain, or local tumor of 
the skin : it is a total, radical defilement of the hidden 
man of the heart. And this it is which fills our new-born 
disciple with such intense self-loathing. '' Unclean ! un- 
clean !" are the words of his heart as well as of his lips. 
It is this sense of defilement, this consciousness of total 
pollution, which has driven him to the purging blood of 
the Cross for cleansing. Impurity of soul is, therefore, a 
cardinal truth necessarily implicit in the gospel scheme. 
Had there been no uncleanness among the people, there 
had been no Fountain opened in the house of Judah. 
How, then, shall this convert to Jesus set forth this prime 
fact, doctrine, and consciousness of soul-uncleanness 
alongside with his acknowledgment of spiritual death ? 
Surely both facts are cardinal enough to demand full, fit 
expression. Suppose he has invented some emblem for 
symbolizing his spiritual death — what shall he invent as 
the symbol of his total spiritual defilement ? 

2. The second great truth which this new convert to 
Jesus would naturally wish to express when making his 
public confession, is his entrance upon a holy career. 

* Matt. XV. 17-20. 

11 



122 The Symbolism of Baptism. 

(a) Many are the figures which Holy Scripture uses 
to set forth its conception of the new state into which 
the regenerated sinner enters. Of these none is more 
frequent or expressive than the term life. As death is 
the standing type of sin, so life is the standing type of 
righteousness. " He that heareth my word, and believeth 
on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not 
come into condemnation : but is passed from death unto 
life.'' " The wages of sin is death ; but the gift of God is 
eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord." " To be car- 
nally minded is death ; but to be spiritually minded is 
life and peace." " The law of the spirit of life in Christ 
Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." 
The regenerate '^walk in newness of life." ''He that 
hath the Son hath life." " I am the bread of life." " I 
am come that they might have life, and that they might 
have it more abundantly." ''He that believeth in me 
hath eternal life." "I give unto them eternal life."* 
This, in fact, is the chief aspect of redemption on its 
human side. Life, eternal life, is the key-note of the 
gospel. 

Upon this new life our new-born disciple believes he 
has entered. He has passed from death unto life. Dead 
in sin, he has been raised unto Grod. Conversion is a 
resurrection. How vital, then, that in publicly avowing 
his belief that he has passed from death unto life, he 
should symbolize his resurrection ! Having, as we will 
suppose, discovered or invented some symbol to set forth 
his spiritual death, how shall he find or devise some sym- 
bol to set forth his spiritual resurrection ? 

(6) But this resurrection is to a life of righteousness 
or purity. As in his unregenerate state he had not 
merely been dead, but also polluted, so now, in his re- 

-* John V. 24 ; vi. 35, 47 ; x. 10, 28. Eom. vi. 4, 23 ; viii. 2, 6. 1 John 
T. 12. 



The Symbolism of Baptism. 123 

generate state, he has not only been quickened, but also 
purged. Need jou be reminded that total purification is 
the grand cardinal blessing of the gospel, so far as its 
simply restorative power is concerned ? Even under the 
old covenant, a chief part of the Mosaic scheme and lit- 
urgy consisted in lustrating rites. And the superiority 
of the new covenant over the old is declared to consist in 
this very thing, that while the old could serve only to 
the purifjing of the flesh, the cleansing from outward 
defilement, the new can purge the conscience itself, and 
inmost recesses of the soul from their inward defile- 
ment."^ The grand distinguishing blessing of the gospel, 
considered as a remedial, restorative economj^, is this, 
that it cleanses from all sin, purifying even as God is 
pure. And this man, standing before us, has, b^^ our 
supposition, passed under the quickening power of the 
gospel, and, as a new-born soul, is undergoing its purify- 
ing xDrocesses. If, then, in making public confession of 
his faith, it be an appropriate and even vital thing that 
he express his sense of total defilement, it is equally ap- 
propriate, even vital, that he express his desire for total 
purification, and his belief in its possibility. How, then, 
shall he do it ? The first problem is to symbolize his 
death in sin; the second, his resurrection to life; the 
third, his total defilement ; the fourth, his total purifica- 
tion. What shall the sj^mbol or symbols be ? 

3. The third great truth which this new convert to 
Jesus would naturally wish to express, is the instrument 
and potoer by which he has been quickened and purged. 

This, of course, cannot be any act or volition of his 
own. Uncleanness cannot cleanse itself, death cannot 
resuscitate itself, any more than Beelzebub can cast out 
Beelzebub. What, then, is the energy by which the sin- 
ner, dead in filth, is made alive again and purged ? 

^- Heb. ix. 13, 14. 



124 The Symbolism of Baptism. 

(a) Need any Christian be told that the death of the 
Son of God is the source of his loeople's life? ''I am 
the life-giving bread which came down from heaven. If 
any man eat of this bread he shall live forever : and the 
bread that I will give is ni}^ flesh, which I will give for 
the life of the w^orld." '' Y/hoso eatetli my flesh, and 
drinketh my blood, hath eternal life.'^ Since '^ without 
shedding of blood there is no remission,'' God hath sent 
forth his Son to be the '' propitiation for our sins, through 
faith in his blood.'' ^' Christ, our passover, is sacrificed 
for us," ''his own self bearing our sins in his own body 
on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto 
righteousness." '' The church of God he hath purchased 
with his own precious blood." ''We have redemption 
through his blood." "The blood of Jesus Christ, his 
Son, cleanseth us from all sin." " Being justified by his 
blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him."* 
Thus cardinal in the gospel scheme is the fact of Christ's- 
death. 

" The gates of Paradise 
Open stand on Calvary." 

(5) Observe now, that in that death the believer in 
Jesus, through God's grace and his own faith, is an ac- 
tual participant. It is a clear and frequent teaching of 
Holy Scripture, expressed by a great variety of meta- 
phors and idioms, that the church, that is, the true spir- 
itual ecclesia, is organicall}^ united to Jesus Christ. 
Christ's people are one in and with him. He is the Yine : 
they are the branches. He is the Head : the church is 
his body. He is the Bridegroom : the church is his bride. 
He is the second Adam : the church is his spiritual pos- 
terity, f This is the profound meaning of that charac- 

* John vi. 51, 54. Acts xx. 28. Eom. iii. 2b; v. 9. 1 Cor. v. 7. Eph. 
i. 7. Col. i. 14. Heb. ix. 22. 1 Pet. i. 19 ; ii. 24. 1 John i. 7. 

t John XV. 5; xvii. 11,21-23. Rom. v. 12-19. Eph. v. 22^23. Col. 
i.24. 



The Symbolism of Baptism. 125 

t eristic, distinguishing formula of the Epistles Trhich 
declares the believer to be in christ. 

Now this fundamental doctrine of the believer's or- 
ganic union with and in-being in Christ, involves in it 
the doctrine that the believer fulfilled the law of God in 
the person of Christ. The law said: ''The soul that 
sinneth it shall die.'*"^ The believer has sinned — and 
still he shall live. And yet not one jot or tittle of God's 
law has failed or shall fail. The believer, in virtue of 
his being in Christ, died when Christ died. In virtue of 
his being in Christ, his sin was punished and the law 
vindicated when Christ endured the cross ; and so the 
believer, in the sphere of Christ, fulfilled all righteous- 
ness. And with this doctrine all the Scriptural declara- 
tions concerning the believer exquisitely^ harmonize. 
For instance, St. Paul, writing to Christian believers, 
says : '' We thus judge, that if one died for all, then all 
died." The believer is said to have ''fellowship with 
Christ's sufierings ;" to be a "partaker of his sufi'er- 
ings ;" to be " filling up that which is behind of the 
afflictions of Christ for his body's sake, which is the 
church." He is said to have " sufi'ered with Christ ;" to 
have been " crucified with CTirist ;" " buried with Christ."f 
And as the i^ropitiatory death of Christ is the source of 
his own life, so is his participation in Christ's death the 
instrumental means of his own resurrection. 

(c.) But this resurrection is, as we have seen, a resur 
rection to a life of purity. How is it, then, that Jesus' 
the crucified is not only the source and means of oui 
resurrection to life, but also our purger from all unright- 
eousness ? Who does not feel that Christ's mission to 
the world, surveyed simply in its hitman aspect, i. e., in 

* Ezek. xviii. 4. 

t Rom. vi. 8 ; viii. 17. 2 Cor. y. 14. Gal. ii. 20. Phil. iii. 10. Col. u 
243 ii- 12. 1 Pet. iv. 13. 

11* 



126 The Symbolism of Baptism. 

its relation to man himself, was a mission of cleansing— 
of restoration to the Edenic purity ? It was for this 
very purpose that he was manifested, that he might take 
away sin, and so destroy the y/orks of the devil. "^ Ob- 
serve, the question under this head of discourse is not 
concerning God's nature and wrath, or man's penalty ; 
but concerning the washing away of man's uncleanness. 
Beh old, then, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the 
sins of the world, f But how does he take away the sins 
of the world ? I content myself here, in this article of 
statement, with a single, direct, matter-of-fact answer. 
Christ practically , i. e., in the sphere of our own human 
experience and consciousness, takes away the sin of 
the world by coming down into the world's plane, endur- 
ing sympathetically its burdens and woes, sharing with 
it its natural evil and curse, and so overcoming it with 
the evidences of a love and co-passion, that is divinely 
real and divinely great. Whut these evidences are may 
be seen in the manger, in the v/ilderness, in the garden, 
in the judgment-hall, on the cross, in the tomb. Ah ! 
he7^e, in the gloom, and damp, and noisomeness of the 
sepulchre, the proof of a love divinely real and divinely 
great culminates. Suffering love can soar no higher than 
when it sinks, a murdered, dungeoned corpse, in Joseph's 
grave. Love practically ceased to suffer, it is true, when 
Jesus, hanging on the cross, bowed his head and yielded 
up the ghost. But typically it reached the lov^est deep 
of abasement when it lay shrouded and still in the grave. 
Jesus laid away in the tomb seems more dead to us than 
Jesus suspended on the cross. Oh! if this, the buried 
Jesus, does not break and melt my stony heart, then 
nothing can ; and Mercy, incapable of mightier exploit, 
sliall rightly join with Wrath in stamping it down to neth- 

^^ 1 John iii. 8. f John i. 29, 



The Symbolism of Baptism. 127, 

ermost hell. But as divine love culminates in Joseph's 
tomb, so does divine power. Love, descending out of 
heaven by the cross into the grave nea.r by, passes under 
the guiltiest, lowest soul, and may lift it by its own ce- 
lestial buoyancy. And this is the Power which is over- 
coming, cleansing, transfiguring humanity. Celestial love 
stands and knocks unweariedly at the door till the stolid, 
filthy occupant, subdued at last by her patience and all- 
conquering beauty, opens the door and lets her in ; and 
then, having won her entrance, she sweeps, laves, and 
cleanses, and garnishes it, till at length, transfigured by 
her indwelling, she makes it clean and shining, like one 
of the justified spirits made perfect."^ Thus does the 
blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, cleanse from all 
unrighteousness, f And as the most transcendent 'event 
in the world's history is the burial of the Son of God, 
pressed down into his grave by the weight of an infinite 
righteousness, which cou^d save only as infinite love bore 
that weight ; so the most transcendent event which ever 
occurs in the history of any human being is when this 
same infinite love subdues him, and purifies him, even as 
God is pure. 

And this, by the supposition, is the belief of our new 
convert to Jesus. He is waiting to confess his faith in 
Jesus the crucified. If then it is aj)propriate, and even 
necessary, that he should symbolize both his death and 
defilement in sin, and his resurrection and cleansing, hovf 
much more appropriate and necessary that he should 
symbolize the most transcendent events in the world's 
history and his own, even the burial of that Jesus whose 
love to him, in order to raise and cleanse him from all 
unrighteousness, propitiated infinite justice by infinite 
self-oblation I The buried Jesus, being the sign and 

* Heb. xii. 23. |- 1 John i. 7, 9. 



128 The Symbolism of Baptism. 

proof of a love that poured itself out to the death, what 
shall he invent and use as the s^^mbol of his buried 
Friend, Yicar, Cleanser, and Saviour ? The first prob- 
lem is to symbolize his spiritual death ; the second, his 
spiritual resurrection ; the third, his total defilement ; 
the fourth, his total purification; the fifth, the power 
and instrument by which he is resuscitated and purged. 
What shall the symbol, or symbols, be ? 

4. The fourth great truth which this new-born disciple 
would naturally wish to express in this his formal con- 
fession is that this buried Jesus is indeed the Son of Gody 
and so a resuscitating and cleansing Power divinely 
efficacious. 

It is a sad, unspeakabl}^ sad thing, to see the Son of 
man lying ghastly and mute in his grave. Was it after 
all nothing more than man's love that bore the fasting 
and temptation, the poverty and shame, the agony and 
bloody sweat, the cross and sepulchre ? But look again ! 
See the stone rolled away ! Behold the shining angels 
standing at either end of the sepulchre ! Listen I '' Why 
seek ye him who liveth among the dead ? He is not 
here, but is risen, as he said !" ' Ah, now ! I know that 
Jesus is more than man. That dying love, bursting the 
bonds of death, has proved itself by that act to be divine. 
JSTow I am certified, beyond all manner of doubt, that 
Jesus, in undertaking to be both the Propitiator of Jeho- 
vah and Regenerator of character and Restorer of para- 
dise, has undertaken a work to which he is adequate. I 
have the demonstration, that the gospel is indeed a 
gospel — a good tidings worthy of all acceptation ; for the 
Father, in raising his Son from the grave, has set his 
seal to his Son's work that it is true. 

Thus cardinal in the gospel-scheme is the fact of 
Christ's resurrection. How far Holy Scripture thus re- 
gards it will appear from a single citation : ^^ If Christ be 



i 



The Symbolism of Baptism. iig 

not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is 
also vain : 3^e are yet in your sins.'"*" See how much this 
apostolic statement involves. Christ rested the validity 
of his claims as the Messiah of God, and the attestation 
of his Yf ork as a Saviour, on the fact of his own resurrec- 
tion. But if Christ did not rise, then his decaying 
corpse demonstrates that he was not what he claims to 
be, but instead thereof, a crazy enthusiast, or arrant 
impostor. If Christ did not rise, all that he had said 
was false — all that he had done and endured was in vain 
— all that his people had hoped for was blank and worth- 
less. If Christ did not rise, the one thing alone which 
could have given to the atonement its worth as an accom- 
plished and certified fact was wanting, and on the stone 
which had been rolled up against Joseph's sepulchre, 
might be inscribed : " 'No glad tidings ! No pitying God ! 
No vindicated law! No laver of regeneration! No 
Saviour! No heaven!" If Christ be not risen, then is 
our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain : ye are 
yet in 3^our sins. But, on the other hand^ if Christ be 
risen, then the gospel is certified as true ; all becomes 
substantial and harmonious and complete. Nothing is 
wanting to j)rove the absolute perfection and divineness 
of the gospel fabric. For when Jesus rose from the dead, 
the keystone was inserted into the gospel arch, binding 
it together in immortal strength and symmetry. And 
nothing is left for us to do but to join with cherubim and 
seraphim in shouting : Grace, Grace unto it ! 
* Observe now that as Holy Scripture represents the be- 
liever as having participated in Christ's death, so it repre- 
sents him as having participated in Christ's resurrection. 
It asserts that believers are risen, not only like Christ, 
but also with him. They are said to be not only heirs of 
God, but joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer 

* 1 Cor. XV. 14^17. 



ijo The Symbolism of Baptism. 

with him, that we also may be glorified together. For if 
we be dead with him, we shall also live with him, and 
reign with him. God, who is rich in mercy, for the 
great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were 
dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, and 
hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in 
heavenly places in Christ Jesus. "^ In virtue of the be- 
liever's mystical union with Christ, Christ's death was 
his death, and Christ's resurrection his resurrection. 

To symbolize Christ's resurrection, then, is manifestly 
as essential as to symbolize his burial. How then shall 
our friend, who by the supposition has not onl}^^ had fel- 
lowship with Christ's sufferings and been made conform- 
able unto his death, but also with the power of his resur- 
rection, f how shall he, about to make public confession 
of his Lord and Saviour, shadow forth to others the risen 
Jesus ? What symbol shall he invent that will set forth 
before others his belief, that him whom wicked hands had 
crucified and slain, God has exalted to be a prince and a 
saviour ? The first problem is to symbolize his spiritual 
death ; the second, his spiritual resurrection ; the third, 
his total defilement ; the fourth, his total purification ; the 
fifth, the sacrificial death in which he has participated ; 
the sixth, the vindicatory resurrection in which he has 
shared. What shall the symbol, or symbols, be ? 

5. The fifth great truth which this new convert to Jesus 
would naturally wish to express, is his belief in the coming 
resurrection of the body and the heavenly immortality. 

^' If, in this^life, only we have hope in Christ," exclaims 
an apostle, hunted down every day of his life like a par- 
tridge among the mountaiiis, ^' we are of all men most 
miserable." J And this is the grand, all-inspiring thing 
of the gospel, that it has the promise not only of the 
life which now is, but also of that which, is to come.§ 

*Rom. vi. 8; viii. 17. Eph. ii. 4-6. Cor. iii. 1-4. 

t Phil. iii. 10. X 1 Cor. xv. 19. g 1 Tim. iv, S. 



The Symbolism of Baptism. 131 

The religion of , the Nazarene is, characteristically and 
intensely, a religion of hope. Other religions are bounded 
by visible horizons, and are expected to culminate in the 
sphere of the tangible. But the religion of Jesus Christ 
bursts through all such bars, and is at liberty only as it 
fills out the expanse of the eternities. Life, life ; eternal 
life, is the keynote of Christ and his gospel. So, too, if 
there be any thing that was characteristically apostolic, 
it was the intense gaze which the apostles were wont 
to fasten on the future world. Their citizenship was in 
heaven. They walked by faith, not by sight. They en- 
dured as seeing him who is invisible. They felt that 
they were in very deed saved by hope. They looked 
for and hasted unto the coming of the day of God, when 
he, who was their life, should appear, and they should 
appear with him in glory. They watched, as if on tip 
toe, for that glorious re-appearing, when their absent 
King should come the second time without sin unto sal- 
vation.* They were pre-eminently men of expectation, 
drawing their daily and hourly inspiration from the 
powers of the world to come. They never preached 
Jesus without preaching also the resurrection. Oh, that 
resurrection, pre-supposing, as it did, the atoning death, 
sealing its worth and glorifying it — ^that blessed resurrec- 
tion was their theme, their ecstasy, their conquering paean. 
This, then, is one of the grand, fundamental, character- 
izing truths of the gospel, that Jesus Christ hath abol- 
ished death, and brought life and immortality to light, 
being himself the resurrection and the life.f How, then, 
shall this friend of ours, who, by the supposition, has 
felt in his own breast the power of that resurrection,! as 
the earnest of his own, s^^mbolize to others his blessed 

* Rom. viii. 24. 2 Cor. v. 7. Phil. iii. 20. Col. iii. 4. Tit. xi. 13. Heb. 
xi. 28. 2 Peter iii. 12. 

t John xi. 25. 2 Tim. i. 10. J Phil. iii. 10, 



132 The Symbolism of Baptism. 

assurance that death has lost its stingy being swallowed 
up in victory ? What symbol shall he invent which shall 
shadow forth to others his confident expectation that the 
day is coming when this corruption shall put on incor- 
ruption, and this mortal immortality; and he himself 
shall walk with Christ in everlasting chastity and peace 
and glory ? The first problem is to sjaubolize his own 
spiritual death ; the second, his own spiritual resurrec- 
tion ; the third, his own total defilement ; the fourth, his 
own total purification; the fifth, the atoning death by 
which he has been made alive and cleansed ; the sixth, the 
accrediting and joy-giving resurrection ; the seventh, the 
resurrection of his own body, and so the heaven to come. 
What shall the symbol, or symbols, be ? 

Such are the leading truths which any one about to 
make a public confession of his Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ would naturally wish to express. They are the 
cardinal points of a Cliristian's creed, hearing him from 
this polluted earth to the saintly heaven through the re- 
deeming woi^k of a divine Mediator, first abased and then 
exalted. I have asked you, at the close of each succes- 
sive point, to select or devise some symbol which should 
shadow forth that point. I now ask you to invent a sym- 
bol which shall com]3rehend all these points in a single 
emblem. It will be a difficult task ; for these truths con- 
template the believer and his Saviour at the extremes of 
their conditions — the believer in his death and filth, and 
also in his quickening and spotlessness ; the Saviour at the 
nadir of his humiliation and also at the zenith of his 
glorification. Nothing is so wide apart as the unclean- 
ness of sin and the chastity of holiness, except Jesus the 
buried and Jesus the risen. And now I ask you to ex- 
press, in one single emblem, these antipodal truths. It 
is a colossal task. Put, then, your inventive powers to 
utmost tension. Search the heavens above : search the 



The Symbolism of Baptism. 133 

depths below : what do you find above, below, that will 
help you ? 

III. But I will spare you the fruitless trouble. I will 
give you the pattern shown me in the mount. Wouldst 
thou symbolize thy death in sin and thy resurrection to 
holiness ? Then be buried by baptism into death ; that 
like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory 
of the Father, even so thou also mayst walk in newness 
of life.* Wouldst thou symbolize thy total defilement 
and thy desire for total purification ? Then arise and be 
baptized, and wash away thy sins.f Wouldst thou 
symbolize thy belief in a buried and risen Mediator, and 
thy participation in his death and resurrection ? Then 
be buried with him in baptism, wherein also arise with 
him. J Wouldst thou symbolize thy confident expecta- 
tion that thou slialt share in his blissful immortality? 
Then submit thyself to baptism — descending into the 
liquid tomb and emerging : for if thou art planted toge- 
ther with him in the likeness of his death, thou shalt be 
also in the likeness of his resurrection. § Oh, glorious 
symbol this of the Christian's creed ! He may tell me in 
words all that he believes about himself and about his 
Lord. He may tell me of his sins and his hopes — his 
tears for the past and his resolves for the future. He 
may tell me all that Jesus has done for him, and all that 
he intends to do for Jesus. But when I see him silently 
submitting himself to holy baptism, I read a more elo- 
quent story, told in a language which all peoples of the 
earth can understand ; which changes not with the flight 
of years ; which no oratory can rival ; which carries the 
head, because it has first carried the heart ; which is 
the truth of God expressed in the act of man. Not that 
there is any thing in the ordinance which savours of re- 

- Rom. vi. 4. f Acts xxii. 16. 

t Col. ii. 12. § I^ooa. vi. 5. 

12 



134 The Symbolism of Baptism. 

generating or sanctifying tendency. For baptism is a 
symbol, not a power ; a shadow, not the substance. And 
it shadows forth, at the same instant, the most momentous 
events in the history of Christ and in the history of the 
Christian ; all that Christ has suffered and done for us ; 
all that we mean to suffer and do for Christ ; ail that we 
are by nature ; all that we hope to be by grace. Yerily, 
none but a God infinite in counsel could have devised a 
rite so simple and yet so dense with meaning and glory I 
To him be all the praise ! 

lY. Brethren, my task is done. I have shown you 
that the principle of symbolism pervades all nature — all 
Scripture ; that Jesus himself is the symbol of symbols 
— God's mighty parable to man. In asserting, then, that 
baptism is a symbol, I have asserted nothing which is an 
exception to God's method of communicating with the 
race, but something which is in exquisite harmony with 
it. In^ setting forth baptism as a symbol, I have shown 
you that it expresses the distinctive, cardinal, vital truths 
of the gospel ; truths without which there is nothing 
but hell ; with which the kingdom of heaven is opened 
unto all believers. I have shown you that baptism, as 
being a s^^mbol, is also a creed ; being as truly a doctrinal 
formula enunciated in act, as is the Apostles' creed or the 
Nicene enunciated in words. In carrying out this train 
of thought, you will bear me w^itness that I have assailed 
no man or sect or heresy, feeling assured that if there be 
error in the world, it can be best overcome, not by fight- 
ing it, but by quietly putting the truth alongside of it ; 
for truth, although of slower growth than falsehood, is 
longer lived. It only remains for me to show that bap- 
tism, taken as a symbol, is, and was designed of the 
Master to be, a power, to be wielded as such by the church 
of the living God. 

What power there is in a symbol, we need not go to 
the books or across the ocean to learn. Yisit with me 



The Symbolism of Baptism. 135 

one of the battle-fields of the Civil War. All around 
lis — right, left, before, behind — ^the red sea of battle heaves 
and roars. But look ! By yonder turn in the valley the 
billow swells highest and reddest. Here seems the mael- 
strom of the fur}^ — the crucible spot of the fight. Here 
platoon blends with platoon, bayonet crosses bayonet, 
breast hurtles against breast. And now another awful 
shock, fiercest of all ; and then, above the groan of dying 
and boom of gun, swells a shout, long, clear, ecstatic : 
^' It is ours /" What is "■ ours" ? A smoke-blackened, 
shot-riddled, bayonet-rent bit of bunting — as a piece of 
cloth, nothing ; as the star spangled banner, every thing. 
Into that banner are gathered countrj^ and constitution 
and government and liberty and glory and fireside and 
altar. As a piece of cloth it is nothmg ; as a symbol, it 
is the concentrated essence of the United States. And 
this is its power. So long as the flag floats over his 
ranks, the soldier feels that he has every thing to fight 
for — everything to make him fight. Wrest his flag from 
him, and he feels that all is lost. 

Even so is it with baptism, the heavenly devised ban- 
ner of Immanuel's gospel and church. As a mere act, it 
is nothing but a ceremon}^ ; as a mere ordinance, nothing 
but a command ; as a s^^mbol, it is the gospel of the 
Nazarene crystallized into formula, or rather, vitalized 
into a conscious, joyous incarnation. Substitute any 
other banner for it, and you substitute a human device for 
a divine — a- heresy for a gospel — secessionism for loyalty. 
Use it as a rite, but not as a s3^mbol, and you surrender 
the flag, the day, the cause. Accept it as a sj^mbol, 
preach it as a symbol, administer it as a s^'mbol, and it 
will sweep forth conquering and to conquer, until 
throughout the whole world there shall be but one fold 
as already there is but one Shepherd. B}^ this sign — • 
not Constantine's, but Constantine's Master's, we shall 
conquer. 



VI. 

THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR BAPTISM. 

By EBY. henry E. ROBINS, 

Pastor of Central Baptist Church, Newport, E. I. 

"And Jesus came, and spake tjnto them, sating, all power is given unto mb 
IN heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, bap- 
tizing THEM IN the name OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SoN, AND OF THE IIOLT 

Ghost : Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever i have com- 
manded YOU : AND LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE 

WORLD." Amen. — Matthew xxviii. lS-20. 

GrOD, wlio, at sundry times and in divers manners, 
spake in time past unto the fathers ^^y the prophets, hath, 
in these last days, spoken unto us by his Son. The Son 
of God has established churches on the earth, of which, 
as constituting his visible spiritual kingdom among men, 
he is King. As King, he has fixed the conditions of en- 
trance into that kingdom, and ordained laws for the gov- 
ernment of his subjects. These are unalterable by any 
human authority. They rest solel}^ in his will. It is 
his to command : it is ours to obey. 

In seeking, therefore, for the qualifications for Bap- 
tism, we turn to the New Testament. We are there, we 
think, unequivocally taught that Baptism should he ad- 
ministered to those, and those only, ivho give credible evi- 
dence that they have been born again of the Holy Spirit. 

Regeneration is the great qualification which includes 
all others. So, when it is required, repent, believe, re- 
generation is necessarily presupposed. For repentance 
and faith, as well as all other Christian graces, are fruits 
of the Spirit; the work in the soul of the holy Author of 
the new birth. Of repentance, Peter expressly teaches 
(136) 



The Qualifications for Baptism.. 137 

that it is the gift of Christ.* And our Lord himself de- 
clares that the first great office of the Spirit is to con- 
vince of sin.f As to faith, Paul, in his Epistle to the 
Galatians, classifies faith with love, joy, peace, etc., as a 
fruit of the Spirit ;J and in his first Epistle to the Corin- 
thians, traces it directly to its Divine Author, when he 
says : no man can say that Jesus is Lord but by the Holy 
Ghost. § When we insist, then, on regeneration as the 
qualification for Baptism, we do it as including and in- 
suring repentance and faith. 

To pass, now, to the proof of our position, we appeal : 
I. To the Great Conimi^sion : which has been the de- 
vice on the banners of the sacramental host of God's 
elect as it has gone forward, in all the centuries and 
through all lands, to the conquest of the world. How- 
ever widely any division of the vast army may have de- 
parted from the instructions of our Great Captain, every 
one of them, without an exception, points to these august 
words as the authoritative command, in obedience to 
which it seeks to extend the Empire of the Cross. What, 
tlien, is the meaning of this sublime warrant of the Chris- 
tian teacher's authority ? According to the most obvi- 
ous import of its terms, the disciples were sent forth to 
secure, first, converts to Christ, ^. e., the regeneration of 
men ; secondly, to baptize them, in token of this fact ; 
thirdly, to instruct them in all the duties resulting from 
their profession. But we do not argue that the order ^ of 
the commission in itself proves what its Divine Author 
intended should be the method in the building of his 
spiritual temple : we would not rest in a mere array of 
words : but we do insist that the order is as authorita- 
tive as the command itself, unless proof to the contrary 
can be adduced from the Holy Scriptures. Nay, it be- 



-* Acts V. 31. t John xvi. 8. I Gal. v. 22. § 1 Cor. xii. 3. 

12* 



138 The Oualifications for Baptism. 

comes of the essence ^f the commission, if all the lines of 
evidence converge to corroborate it. What, then, is the 
order, not so much of the words, as of tne ideas ? To 
answer this question intelligentl}^, we must not overlook 
the fact, that the commission was a growth, a develop- 
ment. It has its roots in a past. Wise interpreters of 
our national organic law are guided by the debates of 
the convention by w^hich it was adopted, and the legisla- 
tion of Congresses immediately succeeding. Let us imi- 
tate that wisdom, and so examine the great charter of 
Christian authority for the evangelization of the world. 
Our special inquiry now is, whence came Christian bap- 
tism, and to w^hom was it administered. About three 
years and a half before the ascension of Christ, John ap- 
peared in the wilderness of Judea, announcing that the 
kingdom of heaven was at hand. This, in the language 
of inspiration, was the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus 
Christ."^ The baptism w^hich he administered was so 
special a feature of his work, that it gave him his title : 
the Baptist. Whence came it ? This baptism, the Saviour 
himself instructs us, derived its authority from heaven, 
not of men.*|* Hence, as an Ecclesiastical usage, we are 
not permitted to trace it to any other origin. Here our 
investigation is authoritatively terminated by the solemn 
declaration of the Head of the church. We may as w^ell 
seek for the doctrines of this heaven-sent prophet of the 
wilderness, in the absurd and contradictory traditions of 
an effete hierarch}^, as to find the origin of that rite 
v\4iich the Saviour consecrated in the waters of Jordan, in 
their unauthorized and corrupt ceremonies. The condi- 
tions, too, of the rite are plainly discoverable from the 
preaching of the forerunner : — these were, repentance and 
failh, which, as we have seen, presupposed regeneration. 

* Mark i. 1. t ^>^att. xxi. 24-27. 



The Qualifications for Baptism. 139 

As to repentance, what saitli the record ? ''In those days 
came John the Baptist, preaching in the y/ilderness of 
Judea, and saying, repent ye : then went ont to him all 
Jerusalem and Judea and all the region about Jordan, 
confessing their sins.^^"^ As to faith in Christ, Paul 
teaches, summing up the scope of the Baptist's preach- 
ing, '' John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance ^ 
saying unto the people, that they should believe on him 
that should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.^^'f 
And, as if to put beyond question the fact that John re- 
quired evidence of a change of heart in the subjects of 
the ordinance, it is recorded that he repelled the Phari- 
sees and Sadducees who sought it at his hands, with an 
indignant emphasis of language, which implies that the 
serpent nature of evil was still theirs, rendering them 
unfit for it." generation of vipers ! who hath warned 
you to flee from the wrath to come ? Bring forth, there- 
fore, fruits meet for repentance. "J During the x>eriod 
in which John was thus instructing the people and bap- 
tizing, our Lord appeared, was baptized, called disciples, 
and through them administered the same rite, and, as we 
infer from subsequent facts, upon the same conditions. 
We have no account of any formal command on the sub- 
ject, given b}" him to his immediate attendants while they 
labored under his personal supervision. He seems to 
have taken it up as appropriately belonging to his work. 
Thus the two streams of teaching and practice, issuing 
from the same fountain, after flowing side by side with 
unrufl9.ed current for a season, were finally mingled, be- 
came one, and John's mission ceased. Soon the Saviour 
solemnly commissioned his disciples for the great con- 
quest. In doing this he simply epitomized John's preach- 
ing and practice ; assumed them formally as his own, and 

*Matt. iii. 1, 2, 5, 6. f Acts xix. 4. J Matt. iii. 7, 8. 



140 The Qualifications for Baptism. 

sent them forth with higher sanctions, as the gospel of 
his grace to all kindreds and generations of men. 

The beams of the morning star joined their light with 
the first gleam of the dawn, but were quenched at last by 
the peerless rays of the ascending Sun of Righteousness, 
destined to fill the earth with their healing power and 
illuminating glory. Such, in brief, is the anterior history 
in which the Great Commission has its root. Interpret- 
ing it by this certain light, we discover that baptism pre- 
supposes regeneration. Moreover, the commission has a 
histor}^ subsequent to its promulgation. Does this con- 
firm the result we have now reached ? How did the Apos- 
tles to whom it was primarily addressed understand the 
command ? How did the}^ act under it ? Here, certainly, 
we may discover conclusive evidence as to its import. 
We turn to the Acts of the Apostles, the opening chap- 
ters of Baptist church historj^, and find that the qualifi- 
cation for baptism was the same after, as that which had 
been required before, the ascension. When on the day 
of Pentecost, the inquiry, ''men and brethren, what shall 
we do ?" arose from the lips of the hearers of Peter, who, 
by the power of the Holy Ghost were convinced of sin — • 
pierced in their hearts, in the expressive language of the 
record — his answer was, '' Repent, and be haptizecl every 
one of 3^ou in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission 
of sins. "^ * Then they that gladly received the loord were 
haptized.^^^ Philip went into Samaria, carrying the glad 
tidings, ''and when,'' says the history, ^' tJiey believed 
Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of 
God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they xi^ere baptized, 
both men and women, "f So when Paul was obedient to 
the commission in Corinth, " Crispus, the chief ruler of 
the synagogue, believed in the Lord, with all his house ; 

* Acts ii. 37, 38, 41. f-^^ts yiii. 12. 



The Oualificatlons for Baptism. 141 

find mail}' of the Corinthians hearing, helieved, and ivere 
hai^tizedy^ To the Philippian jailor, who — terrified at 
midnight by the earthquake, which, as by the toucli of 
the Almightj^, had shaken to their foundations the mas- 
sive walls of the prison, and loosed his prisoners — fell 
trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas, crying, '' Sirs, 
what must I do to be saved ?" they replied, '' Believe on 
the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy 
house." Then assembling the household they spake unto 
him tlie word of the Lord, and to all that were in his 
house. Then were they '' baptized, he and all his, straight- 
way," ''and he rejoiced, believing in God with all his 
house. "f Here is f^vst, instritction ; then, faith; after- 
ward, baptism: houseJiold instruction, household faith, 
household baptism. The limits of my discourse forbid 
me to quote all the abundant proofs which appear as 
rve turn from page to page of this j)art of the sacred 
history. 

We are clearly authorized to say, that the common 
English version of our text gives the essential import of 
the commission ; although objection may be made to the 
translation as, perhaps, not strictly accurate. 

The first clause, " Go teach," or go make disciples of, 
'' all nations," embraces as to the idea the following 
clauses, with the preliminary and conditioning thought of 
a preparation of heart wrought in menb}^ the supernatural 
power of the Son of God. " All power is given unto me 
in heaven and in earth," he said. On this firm founda- 
tion, he builds his commission : gives us in these preg- 
nant words a clue to a right understanding of those 
which follow, and a reason why he bade the apostles to 
tarry in the city of Jerusalem, until they were endued 

*- Acts xviii. 8. f Acts xvi. 30-34 



14.2 The Qualifications for Baptism. 

with power from on liigli, saying, ''behold I send the 
promise of my Father upon you.'' 

Go make Christians, go attempt a superhuman task, 
and when, by the Holy Spirit's aid, you have made men 
willing to take my yoke upon them, baptize them, and 
instruct them in all the duties of their profession. 

To bring men into the condition of discipleship is to 
bring them into a moral fitness for baptism and all other 
Christian duties. The subsequent clauses of the com- 
mission, baptizing and teaching, rise out of and expand 
the first ; and enjoin the outward expression and comple- 
tion of an inward work, wrought by the Holy Ghost. 
The testimony thus far examined is so uniform, without 
ambiguity or contradiction, that even those who contend 
for a change of administration are constrained to admit, 
with Calvin, " that persons of adult age, who are capable 
of hearing the gospel, are to be instructed, in order that 
they may believe before thej^ are baptized :" or, with Ed- 
wards, that ''baptism, by which the primitive converts 
were admitted into the church, w^as used as an exhibition 
and token of their being visibly, that is, in the judgment 
of Christian charity, regenerated:" or, with Dr. Bushnell, 
in his romance entitled Christian iSTurture, that " Christi- 
anity must needs m.ake its chief address, at the outset, to 
adult persons so as to meet only the conditions of adult 
minds." We submit, therefore, that the great commission, 
whether we consider the force of its terms, or whether 
we interpret it in the light of its history as given in the 
New Testament, prescribes regeneration as the indispen- 
sable qualification for baptism. 

II. In support of this conclusion, we appeal to the 
teachings of the word of God respecting the spiritual 
constitution of the church under the New Testament. 

Our position is this : — that, according to the design of 
its Divine Founder, the church of the new dispensation 



• The Qualifications for Baptism. 143 

should be constituted of those, and those only, who have 
been regenerated by the Holy Spirit. This may be justly 
inferred from what has been discovered concerning the 
first converts to Christianity ; but when it shall appear 
that our interpretation of the commission is in exact ac- 
cordance with the plan of God as revealed in prophecfy, 
and in the apostolic epistles, all doubt will be excluded. 
Everj^ thorough student of Christian institutions will cer- 
tainly be led back to the covenant with Abraham as a 
starting point in human history. '' In thee," said God, 
to him, '^ shall all families of the earth be blessed."* 
But the institutions of the visible people of God, under 
the Mosaic econom}^, which were engrafted upon this 
promise as a part of its unfolding fulfillment, were but 
''shadows of good things to come,"")" ''patterns of things 
in the heavens, "J as we are expressly taught. As such they 
deserve our stud}^, and will afi'ord us much instruction 
touching the realities foreshadowed. It is to be observed, 
then, that the promise to Abraham had a double meaning : 
the first, spiritual, insuring a spiritual seed and a heavenly 
Canaan : the second, temporal, insuring a carnal seed and 
an earthly Canaan. This is the key which unlocks all 
the succeeding mysteries. Under the first dispensation, 
the temporal predominated, and gave shape to all its in- 
stitutions. In the first place, an earthly Canaan only lay 
on the face of the prophecy : '' I will give unto thee, and 
to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stran- 
ger ; all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession. "§ 
Consequently, the hope of the great majority of the peo- 
ple never rose above Palestine. By this hope they were 
bound together into one. As a nation they were to in- 
herit the promised land. It was the purpose of the Most 
High to make them, in their national character, his repre- 

* Gen. xii. 3. f Ileb. x. 1. % ^^^^* '^^' ^3. § Gen. xvii. 8. 



144 The Qualifications for Baptism. * 

sentative people on earth. His address to them was, hence, 
in these terms : — " The Lord thy God hath chosen thee 
to be a special people unto himself above all people that 
are on the face of the earth.''* They were the depository 
of his law written on tangible tables of stone : to them 
Jehovah visibly revealed his glory : to them he spake in 
an audible voice. They were the visible Israel of God 
among men. In the second place, we notice, that, in 
harmony with this plan, there was no separation of the 
children of God by faith and the children of Abraham 
by natural generation ; but all Were recognized, in virtue 
of their birth in the line of promise, as entitled to all the 
privileges and sharers of the hopes of Israel. 

We find, in the third place, as a necessary corollary 
in this logical sequence of facts, that the initiatory ordi- 
nance was administered without reference to spiritual 
qualification. Only in the case of Abraham, who was 
himself a believer and the type and father of believers in 
every age, was circumcision a seal of the righteousness 
of the faith which he had being yet uncircumcised, and, 
hence, it did not certify fitness for heaven, except in this 
single instance. Every child, in virtue of its birth of 
Jewish parents, met all the conditions of entrance into 
the national Israel, and was, therefore, circumcised : en- 
titled to that side of the promise, so to speak, by which 
they were separated from the gentile world, and were 
heirs of the earthly Canaan. 

Hence, in the fourth place, the institutions of national 
Israel corresponded to the carnal character of those for 
whom they were intended : they were outward in the flesh, -j* 
and, temporary, imposed till the time of reformation. J 
There was a worldly sanctuary, and a gorgeous ritual : 
there were sacrifices of dumb animals, and priests made 
after the law of a carnal commandment, § qualified by de- 

-^•- Deut. viK 6. t Rom. ii. 28. J Heb. ix. 10. ^ Heb. vii. 16. 



The Qualifications for Baptism. 145 

scent in the priestly line ; there was ceremonial unclean- 
ness and ceremonial purification ; there were multiform 
laws with temporal sanctions. But these shadows of re- 
alities in the heavens, for a time falling upon the earth, 
were destined to pass away. The finger of prophecy 
steadily pointed to the coming of Messiah, when the types 
should find in him and his church their fulfillment. In 
the fullness of time he appeared. The key note of the 
new dispensation which he came to establish was struck 
when he said to the Samaritan woman, '^ The hour com- 
eth, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at 
Jerusalem, worship the Father. God is a Spirit : and 
they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in 
truth. "'^ Then Judaism and formalism fell to the earth. 
The spiritual import of the promise becomes now evident 
and paramount. It rules the future. No longer to 
Mount Zion in Palestine, should Israel of the Spirit come ; 
but, pilgrims and strangers on the earth, they should 
seek the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. 
The bow of promise is now seen to stretch beyond Jor- 
dan in Judea, to span the Jordan of death, and rest in 
the heavenly Canaan. In conformitj^ with this exaltation 
of the spiritual import of the promise over the temporal, 
as relating to the inheritance, the great high priesthood 
of Christ is lifted into its proper place. Xo merely hu- 
man jpriests, having infirmity, made after the law of a 
carnal commandment, ofier repeated sacrifices of beasts 
upon earthly altars ; but Christ, made a priest after the 
power of an endless lifef is entered, not into the holy 
places made with hands, which are figures of the true, 
but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of 
God for us. 

Manifestly, to become heirs to such an inheritance, to 



* John iv. 23, 24. f Heb. vii. 16. Heb. ix, 

14 



146 The Qualifications for Baptism. 

avail themselves of the benefits of such a priestly offering, 
and the sympathy of such a priest, men need other 
preparation than natural birth. Hear, then, what Paul 
says when giving to the promise a depth of meaning, 
whicli Israel of old could not have anticipated: — '' Tlie 
Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen 
through faith, preached the gospel before unto Abraham, 
saying, '' In thee shall all nations be blessed. * * * Know 
ye, therefore, that they w^hich are of faith," which re- 
semble him in spiritual character, without reference to 
natural descent — ''the same are the children of Abra- 
ham."* ''For ye are all the children of God by faith 
in Jesus Christ. And if je be Christ's, then are ye 
Abraham's seed, and heirs- according to the promise. "f 
But to bring men into union with Christ is the work of 
the Spirit. The condition is the result of regeneration. 
Hence the memorable words of the Saviour to Nicodemus, 
" Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom 
of God :" J which are but an echo of the prophecy of 
Jeremiah, foretelling the manner in which, under the new 
dispensation, its members should be qualified for the 
Church of Christ. "Behold the days come," saith the 
Lord, " when I will make a new covenant. This is the 
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after 
those days," saith the Lord ; " I will put my laws into their 
minds and write them in their heart, and I will be to 
them a God, and they shall be to me a people ;" adding, 
as a result of this, "they shall not teach every man his 
neighbor and every man his brother" (as was necessary in 
the national Israel), " saying, know ye the Lord : for they 
shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest 
of them."§ The latter clause, so often quoted as foretell- 
ing the universal prevalence of piety in the millennial age. 



* Gal. iii 7-9. t G^al. iii. 26-29. 

i John iii. 3-7. ^ Jer. xxxi. 31-34. 



The Qualifications for Baptism. 147 

is here expressly applied as descriptive of the church 
of Christ in Messianic times. It is a picture, glowing 
with life and beauty, painted b}^ a Divine Hand, of a 
household of faith. It was a foregiance of that era which 
drew from Isaiah's lips the exultant summons to Israel, 
'' Aw^ake, awake ; put on th}^ strength, O Zion ; put on 
th^r beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city ; for 
henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncir- 
cumcised — the unrenewed in heart — and the unclean.'"^ 
We find, therefore, members of the Apostolic churches 
always spoken of in terms, or addressed by titles, which 
assert or imply regeneration. They are alwa^^s contem- 
plated as saints. As the change wrought in them is re- 
garded from different points of view, they are spoken of 
as ''born of the Spirif'f ''led by the Spirit ;"J as an 
"habitation of God through the Spirit ;''§ " as having re- 
ceived the Spirit of adoption ;''|| as made " alive from the 
dead;"^ as "walking in newness of life ;"*'^ as "temples 
of the Holy Ghost ;''ff as " a chosen generation ; a royal 
priesthood;" J J as " one body" animated by " one Spirit."§§ 

Moreover, they were commanded to exclude from their 
communion heretics, |||1 and the unclean, and the disor- 
derly ;^^ some went out from them that it might be evi- 
dent that they were not of them \'^'^'^ they were afflicted by 
false brethren, who had crept in unawaresf ff in spite of 
their guarding scrutiny of the purity of the body of Christ. 

It is clear, w^e think, from even this slight survey of 
the evidence, that it was the design of their Founder 
that the churches of the New Testament should be com- 
posed of persons, who, in the judgment of charity, have 



* Isaiah Hi. 1. f John iii. 6. J Rom. viii 14. 

§ Eph. ii. 22. II Rom. viii. 15. % Rom. vi. 13. 

*^''- Rom. vi. 4. tt 1 Cor. vi. 19. JJ 1 Pet. ii. 9. 

§? Eph. iv. 4. nil Titus iii. 10. 

%\ 1 Cor. V. 1^. 2 Thoss. iii. 6. ^^ 1 John ii. 19. ftt ^^^^ ^' 



148 The Qualifications for Baptism. 

been born again. Such onl}^, therefore, are entitled to 
its initiatory rite, baptism. 

III. We urge, in the third place, in support of our 
main position, the fact that haptism luas designed to de- 
clare in symbolic form the great and radical change 
which has been wrought in him who submits to it. 

Why does baptism hold its present conspicuous place 
in our teaching ? Those who charge us with making too 
much of an outward rite, of exalting the form above the 
spirit, cannot have duly considered the significance of 
its position in the commission. They would do well to 
ask whether, under a proud pretence of escaping ritual 
bondage, they do not pass to an opposite extreme, exalt 
themselves above their baptized Master, and scorn, as 
unimportant, that which bears the sanctit}^ of his ordain- 
ing seal. Yf hy did he select this from all the obligations 
which rest upon his followers ; exalt it where every eye 
must see it, uniting it in perpetual, though subordinate, 
union with the holy work of preaching his gospel, if he 
did not attach to its 23roper observance an importance 
which none of us may have duly considered ? We be- 
lieve that it holds its place immediately after the injunc- 
tion to disciple the nations, because our Lord would have 
it immediately follow a believing reception of the truth, 
as exhibiting the spiritual change which conditions such 
reception: declaring outwardly the inward transition 
from death to life. The ordinances are not arbitrary 
forms : they are rooted in the essence of things. The 
divine idea takes on a divine expression, corresponding 
exactly to it. On this point, the Genevese reformer says : 
*' this analogy, or similitude, is a most certain rule of sa- 
crament ; that in corporeal things we contemplate spir- 
itual things just as if they were placed before our eyes, as 
it has pleased God to represent them to us by such 
figures.'^ Are we not justified, then, in saying, that to 



The Qualifications for Baptism. 149 

modify, or change an ordinance, eitiier as to mode, or 
time of administration — in any respect that is essential to 
its significance — is to utter, in action, partial, or muti- 
lated truth, or downright untruth ? — in sa3dng that, since 
baptism was designed to represent the great fact of re- 
generation as having already taken place in the subject, 
it cannot be administered to the unregenerate without 
utterly nullifying its intent? It becomes, when avow- 
edly so administered, either a meaningless mummery, 
or — a concrete falsehood. 

We said, baptism was designed to represent the great 
fact of regeneration. To prove this and other symbolic 
teaching of this holy rite fell within the province of an- 
other, who recently addressed you. But it is important 
to our present purpose to say, that the first step in the 
work of the Spirit in the soul is to convince of sin. 
This, in the expressive language of Paul, is the '^ cruci- 
fixion of the old man'^ — '' death to sin,'' which is followed 
by the resurrection of the new man. Evangelical con- 
viction of sin can be experienced onlj- by the regenerate 
soul, for it depends upon love of holiness. This love 
of holiness is the ground of the soul's anguish in re- 
pentance, and of its sympathy with Christ in his aton- 
ing work — a copartnership, so to speak, in his anguish 
on the cross. In this godly sorrovf for sin, believers are 
said therefore to have fellowship with the sufierings of 
Christ, being made conformable unto his death : thus, too, 
they become partakers of his life : the}^ become dead, in- 
deed, unto sin, but alive unto God, through Jesus Christ 
our Lord."^ Hence, saj^s Paul, referring to the initiatory 
ordinance of the church, speaking of it as a thing well 
understood by those whom he addresses : '' Know ye not, 
that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ 

- Rom. yi. 11. 
13* 



150 The Qualifications for Baptism. 

were baptized into his death ? Therefore, we are buried 
with him by baptism into death ;" enclosed, so to speak, 
in the sepulchre of waters, as are the dead in the tomb — 
''that, like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the 
giorj^ of the Father, even so we also should walk in new- 
ness of life.''"^ If this be the signilicancy of baptism, 
we ask, with certainty that no Biblical answer can be given, 
with what propriety is it administered to those who have 
passed through no spiritual renewal, but are still dead in 
sin, and children of this world ? 

lY. Thus are we brouo-ht to the last reason, which we 
shall at present urge, why regeneration should always be 
insisted upon as a prerequisite to baptism, viz : — that the 
ordinances of the gosjyel become spiritually profitable to 
those only icho have a spiritual i^reception of their im- 
port. 

The ordinances are instruments of the Spirit, which he 
uses according to his will. They are not channels of 
grace, through which, as material conduits, heavenly bless- 
ings flow upon mankind, irrespective of any rece^Dtive 
faith on their part. " The wind bloweth where it listeth, 
and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell 
whence it cometh, aud whither it goeth : so is ever}^ one 
that is born of the Spirit." He binds himself to no fixed 
methods : much less does he put into mortal hands the 
means by which he will quicken the dead in sin. He 
uses the word when and as he will : but the word is use- 
less unless prevenient grace gives the believing heart. 

The word preached by Moses did not profit those who 
heard it, not being mixed with faith in them .-f so the or- 
dinances, act-words simply, are of no efficacy whatever, 
their sanctifying design is nullified, if received in un- 
consciousness, as in infanc}^, or in a state of unbelief, 

* Rom. vi. 3, 4. f ^^^' i^. 2. 



The Qualifications for Baptism. 151 

and blindness of mind, and hardness of heart. " The na- 
tural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; 
for they are foolishness to him : neither can he know 
them; because they are S23iritually discerned," judged, es- 
timated * Hence, Paul exhorts those who come to the 
Supper of the Lord as follows : '' Let a man examine him- 
self,f and so" — having duly considered his fitness for the 
ordinance — '' let him eat of that bread and drink of that 
cup ; for he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth 
and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the 
Lord's body:" that is, he perceives not its spiritual sig- 
nificance. But baptism is as truly one of the things of 
the Spirit of God as the Lord's Supper, and, as we have 
seen, the qualification for its reception in Apostolic days 
was spiritual fitness, manifested in faith and repentance. 
Hence, Peter teaches: ''the like figure," — referring to 
the salvation of Xoah from the waters of the flood by the 
Ark which it bore upon its bosom — ''the like figure* 
whereunto even baptism, also, doth now save ns, not the 
putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a 
good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Je- 
sus Christ from the dead. "J Baptism is the response 
which a good, or purified conscience, inquiring after the 
will of God, returns to the demand of its sovereign upon 
it for submission to his authority, and, as such, saves: — 
but onl}' as obedience saves, as Christ teaches : " Xot 
every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter 
into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will 
of my Father, which is in heaven :" obedience as the evi- 
dence of justifjdng faith saves ; as James says, " I will 
show thee my faith by my works." 

It is a distinguishing characteristic of Christianity, 
that it invests the individual soul with unspeakable dig- 

*1 Cor. ii. 14. f 1 ^^^' ^i- 28. J 1 Pet. iii. 21. 



152 The Qualifications for Baptism. 

nity and worth. The will of God in his law is uttered 
to individuals: ''Thou shalt," comes to each one of us 
as if there was but one subject of the command under the 
whole heaven. The warnings summon every one of us 
to give account of himself to God. He lays his hand, so 
to speak, upon every man, draws him forth from the 
mass of his fellows from whom he is so prone to take his 
opinions, and with whom to identify his destiny, and, 
placing him alone in the Divine Presence, summons him to 
choose for himself, under the awful sanctions of the life 
to come — heaven with its blessedness, and hell with its 
anguish — whom he will serve, God or Satan. 

''Repent and be baptized every one of you;^^^ thus 
singly does the gospel address us : it solemnly warns us 
not to rely upon our descent from a pious ancestr^^ ; 
"and think not to say within yourselves, we have Abra- 
ham to our father ;• 'f " now is the axe laid unto the root 
of the trees. Every tree, therefore, which bringeth not 
forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. "J 
Kepentance and faith are personal daties ; no human be- 
ing, who is ca^Dable of these acts, can be saved, except by 
their exercise for himself alone ; nothing done for him 
by another — neither baptism, nor sponsor's vows, nor 
prayers — can avail any thing, if he neglects his personal 
duty toward Go'd and his Christ. 

In beautiful harmony with this teaching, baptism is the 
appointed public answer of a purified conscience to these 
demands of our sovereign upon us. So observed, as the 
happy experience of thousands proves, its efiect is emi- 
nently salutarj^, comforting, and sanctifying to the obe- 
dient subject, as well as instructive to those who witness 
his voluntary consecration of himself to his Master's ser- 
vice. 

^^Acts ii. 38. t ^^att. iii. 9. % Matt. iii. 10, 



The Qualifications for Baptism. 153 

On review of what has been said, whether we consider 
baptism as it stands in the commission, interpreted by 
its anterior and subsequent history ; or, in the light which 
the spiritual constitution of the New Testament church 
throws upon it, as the initiatory rite into its spiritual fel- 
lowship ; or, as a symbol of the death and burial of the 
old man and the resurrection of the new ; or, as deriving 
its sole ef^hsiCj through the faith of him who receives it 
■ — it is plainly evident, we think, that this sacred ordi- 
nance should be administered to those only who give 
credible evidence of repentance toward God, and faith in 
our Lord Jesus Christ : or to the regenerate. If this be 
true, what shall be said of infant baptism ? It is excluded. 
It has no place among the institutions of Christ. It is a 
solecism, and an anachronism. 

We have chosen to present the argument in support of 
this interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, as maintained 
by us as a denomination of Christians, without turning 
aside in its progress to examine the theories of men ad- 
vanced to uphold a practice, of which Dr. Hackett, whose 
qualification to speak with authority on such a point will 
not be disputed by scholars, has written, "the opinion 
that infant baptism has any legitimate sanction from any 
]3assage in the New Testament is no longer a tenable 
opinion at the bar of biblical criticism." 

We have adopted this course for two reasons : 

1. Because there is no agreement among its advocates 
as to the ground upon which infant baptism holds its 
usurped place. This ghostly delusion of the Papacy 
eludes us : or, if we pierce it with the sword of the Spirit, 
it instantly assumes another of its Protean forms, and 
flies, mocking, away on its corrupting mission. The 
earnest Menno, groping through the labja-inths of Romish 
error toward the light of the gospel, found this rite in 
his path. "For explanation and evidence he went to his 



154 The Qualifications for Baptism, 

pastor, who, finall}^ acknowledged that it had no ground 
in the Scriptures. Afterwards he went to Luther, who 
taught that we must baptize children on their faith, be- 
cause they are holy ; then to Bucer, who taught that we 
should baptize children in order to be able to bring 
them up in the ways of the Lord : finally, to BuUinger, 
who pointed him to the covenant of circumcision." An 
inquirer of the present day finds still greater diversi- 
ty of view, and, as he sees the confusion of conflicting 
theories, he will ask if truth, which is one, can lead to 
such discord in its defence. Contending on this point, 
our brethren of other names resemble the perplexed hosts 
of Midian, when the Lord set every man's sword against 
his fellow. 

2. Our second, and chief reason for pursuing the ar- 
gument thus is, that, if legitimate, it refutes all the theories 
at once : it establishes principles, and adduces facts, with 
which any hypothesis urged in support of infant baptism 
is utterly inconsistent. 

I. Thus, first, the fallacy of the notion of baptismal re- 
generation has been exposed. If any further evidence 
were necessary to confute it we might urge the conduct 
of multitudes who received the rite in infancy as conclu- 
sive proof that it is not a regenerating ordinance. What 
is the testimony of the moral state of those communities 
where the practice is almost universal : the moral state 
of Italy, of France, of Spain ? To ask the question is to 
answer it. 

II. Our argument shows, secondly, that none are en- 
titled to baptism in virtue of their connection with be- 
lieving parents. On this point we may add that the 
passage from the Acts which is generally quoted as in 
favor of the usage is really against it. It is this : " Then 
Peter said unto them. Repent and be ye baptized every 
one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission 



The Qualifications for Baptism. 155 

of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 
For the promise is unto you and your children : and to 
all that are afar off; even as many as the Lord our God 
shall call.'' Now, to whom was this addressed? Chil- 
dren of Abraham by natural descent : entitled to all the 
benefits of the promise in its spiritual import which birth 
in the line of promise can give. But on what conditions ? 
Hear them as sinners inquiring, '' Men and brethren, what 
shall we do ?" Hear, also, the reply. '' Repent, and be 
baptized every one of you ;" adding as an encouragement 
to duty, the promise of the Holy Ghost is unto 3^ou and 
your children. That is, to you on condition of repent- 
ancCj and to your children on the same condition : and 
not to 3^ou and your children only ; but all those afar off, 
the Gentile nations, even to as many of the children of 
men as the Lord our God shall call : — Peter in these 
modes of expression simply declaring the universality of 
the provision of gospel grace, extending to all people, 
and available on the uniform condition of repentance. 

III. But, thirdly, there are those who, while admitting 
the significance of baptism as a symbol of regeneration, 
contend, nevertheless, with Calvin, and Luther virtually, 
that children are fit subjects for the rite on the ground 
of a supernatural cleansing given to all children of Adam 
through the grace of Christ. " For if," says the Beformer 
of Geneva, " they must be left among the children of 
Adam, they are left in death. On the contrary, Christ 
commands them to be brought to him. Why ? Because 
he is life. To give them life, therefore, he makes them 
partakers of himself" That this is a pure figment of the 
imagination, invented to sustain an error, is evident to 
all readers of the Bible, vfithout argument. For, to be a 
partaker of Christ's life, is to be regenerate : to be born 
of the Spirit : the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus 
making free from the law of sin and death. But that 



156 The Qualifications for Baptism. 

this is not true of all infants is manifest to every ob- 
server. Alas ! the Scripture is not obsolete : the whole 
vforld yet lieth in wickedness. History, experience, and 
observation unite their voices to declare that, although 
Christ died, the race is not restored to its original purity : 
men are not generally sanctified from the womb, but go 
astray as soon as they are born. JSTor can it be pretend- 
ed that the grace of regeneration received in infancy is 
subsequently lost by transgression. For this heavenly 
gift is never lost. Calvin taught, as do the Holy Scrip- 
tures, the perseverance of the saints. To them Paul ut- 
ters the consoling persuasion of his soul : Being confi- 
dent of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good 
work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. 
We do not say that there is no hope for a child djang in 
infancy. We leave those who have not reached an age 
which renders them capable of accepting or rejecting 
the Saviour of sinners where the Bible leaves them : in 
the hands of him who has taught, that this is the con- 
demnation, that light is come into the world, and men 
loved darkness rather than light ; and, that the decisions 
of the final day will be according to the light enjoyed by 
those who shall be judged. We believe he is able to re- 
generate the souls of infants, dying in the dawn of being, 
in the mysterious transition of death, as we hold that the 
sanctification of the believer is then completed, so that 
he enters heaven without spot of positive sin. 

TV. One ground only for the practice remains to be 
considered. In order to retain this ^^part and pillar 
of popery," men, in later days, who admit that it has no 
warrant in the word of God, with astonishing audacity, 
propose to those who profess to be guided solely b}^ that 
word, ''to reform the doctrine of Biblical baptism." 
These are the words of Dr. Bunsen, as quoted by Profes- 
sor Chase. In other words, it is proposed to engraft on 



The Qualifications for Baptism. 157 

Protestantism the Romish theory of legislative power re- 
siding in the church. In similar terms the erratic icon- 
oclast of Brooklyn, who, in his Quixotic attacks, is as 
likely to shatter the ark of God as Dagon, suggests the 
same thing. " If experience, '^ he says, '^ shows a certain 
ordinance^^ — mark the language — ^'to be good, it is your 
right to adopt that, whether the Scriptures point it out or 
not.'' You need no authority for it except the testimony 
of experience that it is good. That is divine authoritj^ 
Indeed, is this the charter of Christian liberty ? to alter 
and amend, to nullify by our alterations and j)retended 
amendments, the solemnly established ordinances of our 
King? What abomination of the Papacy cannot be de- 
fended on this ground? Let me quote from a Doctrinal 
Catechism of the Romish church issued under the im- 
primatur of the late Archbishop Hughes. 

The question is asked, ^' why does the church make 
use of so many ceremonies, as the blessing and burning 
of wax tapers on the Festival of Purification, the distri- 
bution of ashes on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, 
the blessing and distribution of Palm branches on the 
Sunday before Easter, the blessing of the bells of 
churches, etc., etc.'' 

The answer is, '^to give external expression to the 
interior sentiments of respect, devotion, and religion ; 
secondly, to enliven and increase devotion and piety by 
moving and striking the senses: thirdly, to lead the 
simple and illiterate more easily to a knowledge of the 
mysteries of religion." 

And what is this but to say, that these ceremonies 
having been found beneficial to these ends, the church is 
at liberty to introduce them into her worship ; or to use 
the words of this Protestant teacher, '4f experience 
shows a certain ordinance to be good, it is your right to 
adopt that, whether the Scripture points it out or not." 
14 



158 The Qualifications for Baptism. 

Thus Rome and Plymouth Rock are united by the invisi- 
ble, yet strong bond of this ancient error. 

Surely, our mission is not at an end, since there are 
none beside us to protest against an error that so blinds 
the minds of Christian men, whom we loA^e as brethren 
and reverence as examples of piety, as to lead them to 
adopt such fatal teaching in its defence. 

The mother of harlots has recognized our distinction 
in this respect, and admits, that in us alone does she find 
unqualified antagonism. 

" Can Protestants prove to Baptists,'' asks the Rom- 
ish Catechism from which we have quoted, " that the bap- 
tism of infants is good and useful ?" ^' JN'o," it is replied, 
''they cannot, because according to Protestant principles 
such baptism is useless." 

Let us, then, contend for the faith once delivered to 
the saints, in the spirit of faithful Christian love, which 
will not suffer a brother in error, without an efi'ort to re- 
claim him. 

Some have thought the battle over. Wiser observers 
saw in the natural tendency of men to formalism in re- 
ligion, and in the retention of infant baptism, carefully 
guarded in the symbols of organizations which had suf- 
fered the practice to fall into partial desuetude, the seeds 
of a certain harvest of death. " A reaction is now begun," 
says the writer before quoted, '^ and it is my fixed con- 
viction that it will not stop till the encouragement here- 
tofore given to Baptist opinions is quite taken away." 
Not quite taken away, we think. The eternal years of 
God are Truth's. Yet by action and reaction, by strug- 
gle and victory, does her cause go forward on the earth. 
Therefore we may not slight the warning of so acute an 
observer. The rapid growth of ritualistic churches, and 
the manifest tendency to ritualism in churches which 
professedly exclude it, keeping pace in this country with 



The Qualifications for Baptism. 159 

the increase of material wealth, sustain the correctness 
of his judgment. We are summoned, then, by every 
consideration of duty to God and love to men, to gird 
ourselves for the defence of principles, with which we be- 
lieve the glory of God and the welfare of the race are 
identified Let us remember that it will not be enough 
that we maintain our position by argument ; that it will 
be in vain that we strengthen the outworks. We will re- 
joice rather tliat no iron bands of organization will keep 
our churches from crumblino; to atoms when their inner 
life is gone. When the spirit is departed, let the grave 
cover the dead. 

We must be endued with life from heaven, power from 
on high. We must have Christ, the living Clirist, in the 
heart, on the lip, in the life. We shall then be able to 
fulfill our mission as we bring individual men to bow 
broken-hearted for sin at the throne of sovereign grace, 
to sue there for mercy till they find it, to rise thence in 
the ]30wer of a new and heavenly life, to consecrate them- 
selves, by open profession in the waters of baptism, to 
Christ and his church. 

''Make better men," said Zeller, the German philan- 
thropist, '' and you will have better times." 

'' Go ye," said the Saviour, the Inspirer of philanthropy , 
''teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching 
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded 
you" — and so shall we save the world. 



YII. 

THE EVILS OF INFANT BAPTISM 



By a. N. ARNOLD, D.D., 

Professor of Biblical Interpretation in Hamilton Theological Seminary, 



"Every plant which my Heave>^ly Father hath not planted shall bb 
ROOTED UP." — Mitthew XV. 13. 



The occasion on which these words of our Lord were 
spoken was this. He had given offence to the Pharisees, 
by refusing to honor a custom y/hich they regarded as 
sacred. In his view, it was important to make a sharp 
distinction between what was of Divine authority, and 
what was of human devising. And so, instead of making 
any apology for not conforming to their traditionary re- 
ligious rites, he plainly declares that these rites must be 
abolished, because they have no divine sanction. He 
does more. Taking occasion from this one example, he 
pronounces a general sentence of condemnation and de- 
cree of extirpation upon all customs and ceremonies 
which falsely claim a divine origin. We are fully per- 
suaded that the baptism of infant children, who are in- 
capable of professing faith in Christ, belongs to this 
class, and comes under this decisive reprobation of the 
Lord. While we honor the characters and respect the 
feelings of our fellow Christians who believe this custom 
to be of divine appointment, the custom itself we can 
neither honor nor respect. Nor can we admit that any 
custom is harmless, which challenges for itself a sacred- 
uess to which it has no just claim. 
ri60) 



i 



The Evils of Infant Baptism. i6i 

It is not n\y purpose now, to set before 3^011 the proof 
that Infant Baptism has no warrant of Scripture : but 
assuming that, as one of the things that are surely be- 
lieved among us, to call your attention to some of the 
evils which result from the practice. In one aspect, in- 
deed, this may be regarded as a part of the proof that the^ 
custom is not of God : for ever}^ tree is known by its 
fruits ; and if it clearly appear that the natural and con- 
stant effects of Infant Baptism are evil rather than good, 
it ma}^ safely be concluded that it is not of God's plant- 

I. We charge Infant Baptism, in the first place, with 
a tendency to ritualize Christianity. Let me be par- 
doned for the use of an uncommon word : I could find 
no other which expressed my thought so briefly. A few 
words will make my meaning plain. Two opposite views 
of the nature of Christianity have been, from the earliest 
times, struggling for the ascendency in the Christian 
Church. The question which divides the two parties may 
be stated thus : — by what means and in what way does 
the Christian religion principally exert its beneficent 
power over the souls of men ? To what part of our com- 
plex nature does it make its most direct appeal ? Does 
it address the heart and conscience through the under- 
standing, by the presentation of truth ? or does it ad- 
dress the imagination and the sensibilities, by means of 
rites, symbols, and an imposing ceremonial? Does it 
appeal to us chiefly as rational, or chiefly as sensuous be- 
ings ? Those who take the former view attribute great 
efficacy to the Bible and to preaching ; those who take 
the latter view attribute great efficacy to sacraments and 
priestly oflfices. ^N'ow what we claim is, that the former 
of these views is the true one. The imagination and the 
sensibilities are not indeed to be altogether ignored : no, 
Christianitv is adapted to our entire nature : but in reli- 



1 62 The Evils of Infant Baptism. 

gion, as in the conduct of life generally, these should 
have a subordinate place and power, in comparison with 
the intellect, that apprehends truth, and the conscience, 
that recognizes the obligations of duty. Men should be 
mainly influenced and governed, in religion as in every 
thing else, b^^ intelligent convictions, and not by unde- 
fined sentiments. And what we allege against Infant 
Baptism is, that it tends to encourage the latter and false 
view of Christianity — to make it a religion of rites and 
forms, to affect men through their senses, rather than a 
''manifestation of the truth, commending" itself "to 
every man's conscience." 

What are the facts in regard to this matter ? In all 
the unreformed churches — the Papal, the Greek, and the 
minor oriental sects — Christianity has become completely 
a ritual religion. Its sanctifying and saving efficacy is 
believed to be connected, not with the clear presentation 
and intelligent acceptance of its truths, but with the ad- 
ministration of its sacraments. And even in the reformed 
churches, the ritual tendency has had, and still has, a 
powerful and pernicious influence. In a large part of the 
Lutheran and the Anglican churches, a regenerating vir- 
tue is attributed to baptism, and a sanctifying efficacy to 
the Eucharist, not dependent, in either case, upon the in- 
telligent faith of those who receive these ordinances. Is 
this extensive and long-continued corruption of Christian- 
ity traceable in any important degree to the practice of 
Infant Baptism ? We maintain that it is, and that the 
proof of this is seen, whether w^e take a practical, a logi- 
cal, or a historical view of the matter. 

Practically, the baptism of infant children is found to 
exist, wherever this perverted form of Christianity exists. 
And if this perverted form of Christianity is not found 
wherever Infant Baptism prevails, the exceptions are con- 
fined to those communities where the latter is not univer- 



The Evils of Infant Baptism. 163 

sally practised ; and these exceptions are most marked 
in those communions in which it is more and more falling 
into disuse. In great Britain and the United States, the 
legitimate influence of the practice is not fully manifest ; 
because it exists in the presence of an influential counter- 
acting element, and is defended, among evangelical sects, 
on grounds which could never have caused its world-wide 
prevalence, and which are in fact expressly repudiated 
by nine tenths of all those who favor the practice. And 
yet even among those who hold the practice so loosely^ 
and who formally deny its regenerating virtue, or sacra- 
mental eflScacy, its ritualistic tendency discloses itself in 
the uneasiness which many parents feel at the prospect 
of their infant children dying without baptism. And no 
wonder : for. 

Logically, there is an intimate connection between the 
practice which we are deprecating and the ritual or sacra- 
mental system as a whole. A religious rite, administered 
to those in respect to whom it can express no religious 
truth to the understanding, and excite no religious affec- 
tions in the heart, if it have any virtue or efficacy at all, 
must of necessity have such virtue or efficac}^ '' ex opere 
operato," or in accordance with the ritualistic theory of 
relisfion. Somethino- more must be attributed to it than 
is consistent with purely evangelical views, or else it will 
soon cease to be regarded with reverence as a divine rite. 
Wherever it long prevails, one or both of these accom- 
paniments will surely be found. The annals of the church 
afford abundant confirmation of these statements. 

Historically, it is true that such has been the influence 
and effect of the practice against which we protest. Not 
that the whole sacramental system of religion can be 
traced to Infant Baptism as its primary cause. No ; it 
has a far deeper origin, in our very nature — in the ten- 
dency of our sensuous humanity to magnify unduly the 



164 The Evils of Infant Baptism. 

outward and visible form, and to make it first the indiS" 
pensable means, and finally the wretched substitute, of 
the inward and spiritual reality. But it is historicall}^ 
certain, that exaggerated and unscriptural views of the 
efficacy of baptism first gave rise to the custom of 
administering it to infants,"^ and that this custom drew 
along with it, wherever it prevailed, other features of the 
sacramental sj^stem. Infant Communion appears to 
have followed closely upon Infant Baptism in the early 
ages, or rather to have been its inseparable accompani- 
ment, defended on precisely the same unscriptural ground 
of its necessit}^ to salvation ; and to have proceeded hand 
in hand with Infant Baptism, till it overspread the wliole 
Western church, w^here it continued to be practiced till 
the twelfth century,f and the whole Eastern church, where 
it continues to be practiced to the present day. 

It is a truth, which cannot be gainsaid, that the strong 
support of Infant Baptism, as it exists in the Christian 
w^orld at large, is the dogma of baptismal regeneration. 
Wherever this dogma is rejected. Infant Baptism is theo- 
retically w^eakened, and practically, in a greater or less 
degree, neglected and abandoned. If this belief should 
die out of the world, the practice that rests mainly upon 
it could not long survive. 

And it is equally true, that the tendency of introducing 
into the church of Christ this one element of the ritual 
type of Christianity, is to draw along with it other usages 
of the same class, even the vv^hole group of related rites and 
forms and carnal ordinances ; and so, to pervert tire religion 
of Christ as a system of saving truth. And what gives 
special force to this tendency is, that it falls in with the 

••• See the eTidence in proof of this statement in an article in the Chriat. 
Revieio for January, 1861. 

-j- See Bingham's Antiq. of the Chr. Ch. Bk. xii. ch. 1. sect. 1, 2, Bk. xv. 
ch. iv. sect. 7, Bk. xv. ch. vii. sect. 4. 



The Evils of Infant Baptism. 165 

besetting infirmitj^ of our nature, to attach itself to out- 
ward signs to the neglect of the inner truth which the}^ 
represent. 

An examination of the creeds and confessions of even 
the most evano-elical of the Protestant denominations 
that practice Infant Baptism, reveals this ritual tendencj^ 
It lurks, for instance, in one of the articles of the West- 
minster Assembly's Confession of Faith. ^' The efficacy 
of baptism is not tied to that moment of time when it is 
administered ; yet, notwithstanding, by the right use of 
this ordinance, the grace promised is not only offered, 
but really exhibited and conferred by the Holy Ghost, to 
such (whether of age or infantsj as that grace belongeth 
unto, according to the counsel of God's own will, in his 
appointed time." (Chap, xxviii. sect, vi.) That is to 
say, when an elect infant is baptized, the grace of God 
is really communicated to that infant at the time of its 
baptism, though it may not manifest itself in actual 
conversion until twent}^, thirty, or fifty years after. It 
lies dormant, in some wonderful way, through all those 
years of worldliness and unbelief; but still it is there; 
and when at last the person is regenerated, this regen- 
eration is not altogether a new gift of God to the soul, 
but rather the development of what was given long 
before — nothing else, in fact, but the delayed efficacy of 
Infant Baptism. 

II. Turning our thoughts now from Christianity as a 
system of revealed truth to the church as the embodi- 
ment of Christianity, the visible form of the kingdom 
of God in this world, we charge Infant Baptism, in the 
second place, with a tendency to secularize the church. 
When baptism is made the ^' sign and seal"*not of per- 
sonal but of ancestral faith and piety, it does indeed 
^' come in the place of circumcision." It loses its Chris- 
tian significance, and takes on instead a Jewish meaning 



1 66 The Evils of Infant Baptism. 

It not only ceases to mark any distinction between the 
godly and the ungodly ; it tends to obliterate and abol- 
ish, as far as possible, the line of separation between the 
church and the world. When the whole community is 
a baptized community, what is this in effect but the tak- 
ing the world into the church bodily? This tendency 
of the extension of baptism to infant children to blot out 
all distinction between the church and the world has been 
acknowledged and deplored by those who have still defend- 
ed the practice. Hear the testimony of that profound Chris- 
tian philosopher, Blaise Pascal. '' In the infanc}^ of the 
Christian church, we see no Christians, but those who 
were thoroughly instructed in all matters necessar}^ to 
salvation. Then, no one was admitted into the church, 
but after a most rigid examination ; now, every one is 
admitted before he is capable of being examined. For- 
merly, it w^as necessar^^ to come out from the world, in 
order to be received into the church ; whilst in these days, 
we enter the church almost at the same time that we en- 
ter the world. So that dawning reason no longer per- 
ceives the broad line of distinction between these two op- 
posing worlds, but matures and strengthens, at the same 
time, under the combined influence of both. The dis- 
tinction is almost entirely' lost ; the church of the saints 
is all defiled with the intermingling of the v/icked, and 
her children are they who carry into her very heart her 
deadliest foes.'' Hear now the best apology which this 
great and good man could find for the evil wdiich he so 
well describes, and so sincerely laments. '' But we must 
not impute to the church the evils that have followed so 
fatal a change ; for when she saw that the delay of bap- 
tism left a large proportion of infants still under the curse 
of original sin, s];ie wished to deliver them from this per- 
dition, by hastening the succor which she can give ; and 
this good mother sees, with bitter regret, that the benefit 



The Evils of Infant Baptism. 167 

which she thus holds out to infants becomes the occasion 
of the ruin of adults.'"'' It may be that some will ob- 
ject to this representation, and denj that Infant Baptism 
is responsible for these lamentable results, on the ground 
that such results do not alwaj^s attend it ; that some 
evangelical denominations who practice it make no less 
broad a distinction between the church and the world, 
and are no less strict in requiring evidence of saving 
faith as a qualification for full church membership, than 
Baptists are in requiring the same as a qualification for 
baptism. To the substantial truth of this last statement, 
we give our willing and jo^fful assent. There are thou- 
sands of pedobaptist churches, which bear a faithful tes- 
timony to the broad moral distinction between the church 
and the world, and are careful to confine their highest 
church privileges to those who give evidence that they 
have been born of God. Gladly admitting this, and grate- 
fully praising God for it, we feel constrained, neverthe- 
less, to renew the charge, that Infant Baptism tends to 
secularize the church. The question reall}^ comes to this 
issue ; — where are the legitimate fruits of this practice 
most fully and fairly seen, in the evangelical pedobaptist 
churches of England and the United States, or in the unre- 
formed communions, and the national Protestant churches 
of Europe ? And this question again resolves itself into 
such inquiries as these ; — where are the legitimate fruits of 
any particular practice, most likely to be found, most wise- 
ly to be sought — in the narrow enclosure of some specific 
manifestation of it, or in the wide field of its general preva- 
lence ? where it has existed but for a few generations, un- 
der peculiar and exceptional conditions, or where it has 
flourished, under every variety of conditions for many cen- 
turies ? where it has been in contact with opposing and 

"••-See Pascal's "Thoughts on Pveligion," chapter entitled, "a Com- 
parison of Ancient and Modern Christians." 



1 68 The Evils of Infant Baptism. 

counteracting influences, or where it has had free course 
and unchecked development ? where it has onl}^ succeeded 
in maintaining a precarious existence, and already begins 
to be marked with the signs of decay, or where it has 
held for ages its uninterrupted and triumphant swa}^ ? 
where it is practiced and defended on grounds entirely 
different from those which first led to its adoption, or 
where it still stands firmly on its ancient and original 
ground ? To ask these questions is to answer them ; and 
to answer them is to justify the charge which we bring 
against Infant Baptism. Its existence among evangeli- 
cal Protestants is under exceptional conditions, and its 
effects under these conditions are no less exceptional. 
But even under these conditions of restraint and modifi- 
cation, the essential opposition between the evangelical 
truth and the traditional error is manifest in various ways. 
Of the Protestant sects that practice Infant Baptism, 
who does not know that it is maintained with most diffi- 
culty among those which are most decidedly evangelical 
in doctrine, and most distinguished for earnest, active 
piety ? This antagonism must go on, until it results in 
the victory of one of these opposing elements over the 
other — until the evangelical doctrine abolishes the anti- 
evangelical practice, or the anti-evangelical practice cor- 
rupts the evangelical doctrine. Yery likely the victor}^ will 
be a divided one, some going forward to consistency^ by 
abandoning the unauthorized custom, and others going 
backward to consistency by renouncing the sound doctrine 
that clashes with the traditionary custom. Indeed just this 
two-fold movement is already taking place. A remarkable 
illustration of these warring tendencies is found in the his- 
tory of Jonathan Edwards' ministry at Northampton, in 
Massachusetts. He saw clearly the evil of breaking down 
the distinction between the church and the world; but 
instead of applying the true cure, by receiving none 



The Evils of Infant Baptism. 169 

but ''visible saints," as he was accustomed to express 
himself, to baptism, he undertook to remedy the evil by 
receiving none but "visible saints" to the communion 
of the Lord's Supper. How signally he failed, and how 
sorely he was tried in consequence of this failure, all who 
will may read, in Mr. Dwight's account of his life. All 
the churches in the country except two, and all the minis- 
ters except three, were in decided opposition to him. In 
his own church he could not even get a fair hearing, or 
an impartial council ; and at last, after the Lord's Supper 
had been wholl}^ omitted for many months, he was dis- 
missed from the pastoral office over them by a vote of 
more than ten to one — above two hundred voting in 
favor of his dismission, and less than twenty voting 
against it. — The tendency of this practice to confound 
the church with the world is seen in the difficulty which 
evangelical pedobaptists experience in denning the rela- 
tion of baptized children to the church. They are far 
from beino' ao'reed amono; themselves whether these ''chil- 
dren of the covenant" are full members of the church, or 
no members at all, or something between the two — mem- 
bers in their minority, or quasi members, or candidates 
outwardly qualified for membership. They are, however, 
I believe, coming to take the position, more and more 
generally, that baptized children are in the church ; and 
herein they are coming to agree with all the ancient, and 
most of the modern defenders of Infant Baptism. 

The two radical and comprehensive evils above men- 
tioned comprise the heaviest part of our charge against 
Infant Baptism. It tends to corrupt Christianity, as a 
system of doctrine, by making it sacramental. It tends 
to corrupt the church, as a living embodiment of Chris- 
tianity, by making it secular. But the practice brings 
with it, or draws after it, other evils, of more limited ex- 
tent, but of no trifling importance. 
15 



lyo The Evils of Infant Baptism. 

III. It tends — this is our third charge against it — to 
prevent or darken the teachings of Scripture on the sub- 
ject of baptism. The practice probably had its origin, 
certainly found its earliest and most efficient support, in 
a mistaken interpretation of our Lord's words — ''except 
a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot 
enter into the kingdom of God."* This is the standard 
text appealed to by all the ancient, and by the vast ma- 
jority of the modern defenders of the practice. But this 
text is only one of a group of texts relating to baptism, 
all having this in common, that they connect it intimately 
with forgiveness of sin, regeneration, sanctification, and 
salvation. The following are the principal passages of 
this class: ''According to his mercy He saved us, by the 
washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy 
Ghost."f '' Christ gave himself for the church, that He 
might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water 
by the word. "J " He that believeth, and is baptized, shall 
be saved. "§ ''Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy 
sins, calling on the name of the Lord."|| In the ark, 
'' eight souls were saved by water ; the like figure where- 
unto even baptism doth also now save us (not the put- 
ting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of 
a good conscience towards God), by the resurrection 
of Jesus Christ."^ The right interpretation of these 
places of Scripture becomes plain, v/hen w^e restore to 
baptism its true meaning and place, of both which it has 
been deprived by the practice of administering it to in- 
fants. Restore to it its true meaning, as a veritable pro- 
fession of saving faith in Christ, and of conformity to 
his death and resurrection ; restore to it its true place, at 
the threshold of the Christian life, not of the natural, fol- 
lowing close upon the second birth, not upon the first ; 

* John iii. 5. f 'J^it. iii. 5. J Eph. v. 2Q. 

I Mark xvi. 16. [| Acts xxii. 16. f Pet. iii. 21. 



The Evils of Infant Baptism. 171 

and then the attributing to it of the efficacy which belongs 
to the truth represented by it, is but in accordance with 
the well known rule, by w^hich properties and effects are 
commonl}^ attributed to the sign, which belong in strict 
speech to the thing signified. And yet it is remarkable, 
that every one of these passages contains, in itself or in 
the immediate context, something to guard us against 
the danger of attributing saving efficacy to the sign 
alone. '' The washing of regeneration," by which we are 
saved, is coupled vfith the "■ renewing of the Holy Ghost.'*'^ 
The church is not sanctified and cleansed ''with the 
washing of water" merely, but "by the icord.^^ JSTot every 
one who ''is baptized shall be saved," but "he that be- 
Zieue^/i and is baptized." The inj auction, "be baptized, 
and wash away thy sins," must not be divorced from its 
accompaniment of ''calling upon the name of the Lord^ 
Baptism does not save us, apart from " the answer of a 
good conscience^ It is not "except a man be born of 
water," only, "he cannot see the kingdom of God," but 
'•except a man be born of water and of the Spirit ;^^ so 
wisely and carefully are the Scriptures guarded against 
abuse. There is not, in fact, in the whole New Testament, 
a single text which sustains that clause of the Nicene 
Creed which acknowledges "one baptism for the remis- 
sion of sins." I pray you to mark the difference be- 
tween those guarded words of God, and this unguarded 
word of man. " Repent and be baptized, every one of 
you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of 
sins."* That is Apostolic doctrine. " I acknowledge 
one baptism for the remission of sins." That is Nicene 
doctrine. The omission of the most important part 
of the Apostle's language leaves a bridgeless chasm 
between his doctrine and that of three centuries later. 
The passages above referred to, guarded, as we have 

■* Acts ii. 38. 



172 The Evils of Infant Baptism. 

seen^ have really no more difficulty than those others in 
which our Lord makes an outward confession of him 
indispensable to salvation. "^ It is nndeniable that he 
requires the confession of his name as a condition of sal- 
vation ; and it is equally undeniable that the Scriptures 
represent baptism as being such a confession. " As many 
of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on 
Christ, "t 

It would be easy to show that many other passages are 
either perverted or obscured from the like cause. I will 
specify only two. The expression, '' else were your chil- 
dren unclean, but now are they holy," in 1 Cor. vii. 14, 
has been made to do much service in the interest of infant 
baptism. The less it is examined, the better it will serve 
such a purpose. The use of the passage in support of 
Infant Baptism rests entirely upon the assumption that 
the children of jparents, only one of whom is a believer, 
are to be ranked with the believing parent, — an assump- 
tion which is exactly contrary to the plain sense of the 
passage. The Apostle says, ^^ the unbelieving husband is 
sanctified b}^ the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sancti- 
fied by the husband, else were your children unclean, but 
now are they holy.'' Whatever holiness he attributes to 
the children, he derives from the holiness which he has 
previously attributed to the unconverted parent, with 
whom he distinctly ranks them. If this passage contains 
any warrant for baptizing them, it certainly contains an 
equal warrant for baptizing their unconverted parent, on 
whose sanctification their holiness depends. 

A second passage, which has been commonly and 
strangely perverted to favor Infant Baptism, is that which 
records the bringing of little children to Christ for his 



•^ See Matt. x. 32, 33. Luke xii. 8, 9, and especially Rom. x. 9, 10. 
t Gal. iii. 27. Rom. vi. 3, 4. Col. ii. 11, 12 ; and Ileb. x. 22, 23. 



The Evils of Infant Baptism. lyj 

blessing.* Put what construction we may upon our 
Lord's words, ''of such is the kingdom of heaven," this 
affecting and precious incident in his life stands forth as 
a distinct and unanswerable witness against the claim of 
Infant Baptism to be a part of primitive Christianity. The 
things said and done on that occasion could never have 
been said and done, if the Apostles had ever practiced 
the baptism of infant children. Pedobaptist Apostles 
would not have been likel^^ to reprove parents for bring- 
ing their children to Christ. The Apostles were indeed 
in the wrong. They did not understand the tender con- 
descension of their Master's loving heart ; but they never 
could have made that mistake, if they had before that 
time administered baptism to children. We know that 
they had been accustomed to administer baptism to those 
who professed repentance and faith ; but this narrative 
proves that the baptism of infant children was neither 
known nor thought of by them. And yet this was just 
at the close of our Lord's earthly ministry ; only a few 
weeks, at most, before his crucifixion. And if they had 
not yet begun to baptize infants, they would not be likely 
to begin afterwards, especially when they had seen the 
Lord dismiss these children unbaptized, but not un- 
blessed. If the Lord had ever designed to sanction such 
a practice, he could not have found or made a fitter occa- 
sion than this. It is not pretended that he did sanction 
it, then or afterwards ; and, as he certainly had not be- 
fore, the only tenable theory is, that he never did it at 
all. This Scripture does indeed show the propriety of 
dedicating our children to Christ, with prayer for his 
blessing upon them ; but it equally shows the impropriety 
of using the rite of baptism for that purpose. 

IV. We bring a fourth charge against Infant Baptism, 

* Matt. xix. 13-15. Mark x. 13-16. Luke xviii. 15-17. 

15* 



174 The Evils of Infant Baptism. 

that it leads to perplexity of mind and confusion of ideas, 
not only on the subject of baptism, but in relation to 
Christian truth and practice in general. This is not so 
full}^ seen in the old, unreformed churches. There it 
forms part of a self-consistent whole. Infants are bap- 
tized, because baptism is necessary to salvation. It washes 
out the stain of original sin, makes them regenerate, 
members of the church, entitled to its privileges, and 
subject to its discipline. Here all is consistent, because 
all is but the legitimate development of one false idea. 
But among reformed and evangelical Christians, Infant 
Baptism becomes a source of perpetual embarrassment. 
It does not know, and cannot find, its proper and perma- 
nent place. It is continually tossed to and fro, seeking 
rest and finding none. Ask what is the reason that justi- 
fies it, and the answer seems to come from Babel. It is 
because children are depraved ; it is because they are 
innocent ; it is because they are declared to be holy ; it is 
because Jesus said '^ of such is the kingdom of heaven ;'^ 
it is because of the ^Dromises to the seed of the godl}^; it 
is because it is to be presumed that they will grow up 
Christians, without any sudden and violent conversion ; 
it is because of the covenant of circumcision ; it is be- 
cause Christian parents are bound to dedicate their chil- 
dren to God ; it is because infants were baptized from 
the beginning ; it is because, though the^^ were not 
baptized from the beginning, j^et their baptism after- 
wards was but the legitimate enlargement and develop- 
ment of primitive Christianity ; it is because the church 
has sanctioned the practice ; it is because, though desti- 
tute of any scriptural sanction, the practice has proved 
itself useful, and therefore ought to be retained. These 
are only a part of the diverse and conflicting reasons 
urged in support of the practice. Ask what is the actual 
benefit of baptism to infants, and the replj^ is, that it 



The Evils of Infant Baptism. 17^ 

signs and seals to them the covenant of grace ; -which 
means just this, that it is God's sure pledge to these 
baptized children to give them, on certain conditions, the 
same spiritual blessings which he will just as surely give, 
on precisely the same conditions, to those who are not 
baptized. 

Confusion of moral ideas also results from the attempt 
to impress upon the minds of these baptized children, 
when they have grown up, the obligation of vows which 
they never had any part in making. An unsophisticated 
conscience refuses to recognize such an obligation. 

Confusion of principles results from the necessitj^ of 
borrowing from traditionary usage, or church authority, 
to make up for the deficiency of scriptural evidence in 
favor of the practice ; and so the usage presents a weak 
point in the defences of Protestantism, inviting the 
attack, which it cannot successfully repel. 

Confusion as to the relation between the two ordinances 
of baptism and the Lord's SupjDer results from the estab- 
lishment of an unscriptural distinction between them, as 
to the extent of their application, and the qualifications 
for receiving them. The confusion begins in defining 
them both as " signs and seals," thus deriving the whole 
doctrine of the so-called sacraments from a text which 
does not contain the remotest allusion to either of them.* 
And then the confusion is worse confounded, by extend- 
ing the one to all the posterity of believers, and limiting 
the other to believers themselves. For what word of 
Scripture intimates that there is any difference between 
the proper moral qualifications for the two ? It is true 
that infant children cannot examine themselves, nor dis- 
cern the meaning of the Lord's Supper ; and it is equally 
true that they cannot confess their faith in Christ, nor 
discern the meaning of baptism. 

* Rom. iv. 11. 



176 The Evils of Infant Baptism. 

Thus the whole subject groans nnder its burden, and 
cries out, with Job, '' I am full of confusion.'^ A naulti- 
tude of different ideas and arguments are associated with 
it, many of them inconsistent with each other, and most 
of them inconsistent with Scripture. And so a divine 
ordinance, which in Scripture is presented in a definite, 
clear, and consistent light, is, by its perversion, envel- 
0]^ed in obscurity, perplexity, and contradiction. 

V. I dare not withhold a fifth indictment against In- 
fant Baptism, that it tends to encourage false hopes of 
solvation. How should it not, when, in all the unre- 
formed churches its efficacy is so fully believed as to 
have given currency to a common saying that '' a bap- 
tized person does not go to hell?" How should it not, 
when, among many who are called Protestants, baptism 
is believed to be accompanied by regenerating grace ? 
How should it not, when, among those who belong to 
evangelical denominations, the prospect of a child dying 
without baptism so commonly excites alarm, or produces 
uneasiness ? How should the older children of a family 
where the parents show such uneasiness or alarm, fail to 
infer that their baptism has rescued them from the dan- 
ger of perdition, or done something, at least, to give 
them the advantage over others, as to the prospect of 
salvation ? Indeed this idea seems to be involved in the 
very practice. Why is it practiced, it is natural to ask, 
if it has no favorable influence on their prospects of final 
salvation ? It tends obviously to relieve them, in some 
degree, from the sense of personal responsibility, from 
the feeling that every thing depends upon their own re- 
pentance and faith. The matter has already, in a man- 
ner, been taken out of their own hands. Parents, or 
sponsors, or the church, have assumed responsibility for 
them. And if this can be done at the beginning of life, 
why not also at the end ? Why not, in fine, all the way 



The Evils of Infant Baptism. 177 

through life ? In fact the unreformed churches practically 
do this. Consistent with their promise at the beginning*, 
they stand read}^ with their appliances of sanctifying 
rites for everj^ stage of life, and dismiss the departing 
soul at last to Paradise, with absolution and extreme 
unction. 

YI. I must bring one more serious charge against 
Infant Baptism — the sixth and last. It tends to hinder 
individual Christians from discerning and discharging 
their duty. Thousands upon whom this unauthorized rite 
was performed in infanc}^, when they come to believe in 
Christ, and devote their lives to him, feel a strong desire 
to confess their faith by being baptized. Perhaps they see 
others doing so, who have been their companions in the sor- 
rows of conviction of sin, and in the joys of a hope in 
Christ ; and the ordinance received under such circum- 
stances commends itself, as it is wont to do, alike to their 
judgments and their feelings, and is commended, more- 
over, by the serene joy which is wont to gladden the 
breasts of those who have received it. They cannot help 
asking themselves, '' Is not this the right way ?'' And 
the more they inquire and search the Scriptures, the 
greater is their desire ; the more it seems to them to be 
their duty, to be baptized as believers in Christ. But 
there is a great, immovable obstacle to their receiving 
believers' baptism. They have been told that they have 
already been baptized. Baptism ought not to be repeated. 
In this we are all agreed. What, then, shall they do ? 
Shall they set at naught the rite which their revered 
parents, with so much piety and prayer, it may be, 
caused to be performed upon them? Undoubtedly this 
is what they ought to do, if they are convinced, in their 
own consciences, that Christ requires believers, and none 
others, to be baptized. But oh ! how hard it is to do 
this duty ! How hard it is to admit the full conviction 



iy8 The Evils of Infant Baptism. 

that it is a duty ! How the heart shrinks from the thought 
of treating with disrespect what is regarded as a divine 
rite by their dearest Christian friends — what was re- 
garded with so tender and sacred a reverence by a 
mother, a father, now, perhaps, in heaven ! It seems as 
though it could not be a duty, because it appears to be 
reflecting dishonor on those whom they know they are 
sacredly bound to honor. There is a fearful conflict be- 
tween seeming duty to their parents, and seeming duty 
to Christ. How dare they disobey his command ? How 
dare they take a step which will be virtually accusing 
their parents of having passed off upon them a counter- 
feit in place of the genuine Christian ordinance ? And 
it will not be without precedent, if some of their Chris- 
tian friends press this last consideration, and enforce it 
with the most moving appeals. Strange, indeed, is it 
not ? that any Christian should dare to appeal to their 
reverence for their parents, in order to hinder them fronc 
complying with what they believe to be a command of 
Christ. It is assuming a fearful responsibilit}', and the 
Christian who assumes it must have forgotten what the 
Lord says of those who love father or mother more than 
him. But they do sometimes so forget. May God for- 
give them ! I pretend not to know how man}^, or what 
proportion, of those whose minds are troubled with diffi- 
culties of this kind are ultimately hindered from doing 
what they believe to be their dut}^, and so carry for the 
rest of their days a sad and burdened, or, which is much 
worse, though not so painful, a seared and blinded con- 
science. But I do know that the inward strugg^le here 
described is an actual, and not an imaginary one. I do 
know that many, who are not ultimatelj^ hindered from 
doing their duty, suffer intensely in their tenderest affec- 
tions before they come to the full decision ; and, from 
the manifest strength of the temptation, and the known 



The Evils of Infant Baptism. lyp 

weakness of human nature, I think it is neither unreason- 
able nor uncharitable to believe that the number of those 
Tv^ho are hindered, in this way, from doing their duty, is 
much greater than the number of those vviio are success- 
ful in overcomino; the hindrance. Xot that all such come 
to a clear conviction of their duty, but rather that the 
larger part are prevented from having such a clear con- 
viction. They see their duty but dimly, and uncertainly, 
at a distance, because they dare not approach near 
enough to see it plainl}^ and surebr. Here, then, is a 
real, great, practical evil of Infant Baptism, which not 
only amply justifies, but imperatively demands, our 
most earnest protest. Y\^e believe such cases are numer- 
ous, and rapidly multipl3'ing ; and we dare not withhold 
our testimon}^ against a practice which ensnares so many 
Christian souls in a painful and perilous temptation. 

If I had reason to suppose that there was one here 
who was experiencing this temptation, I wouM try to 
strengthen that struggling soul with such thoughts as 
these. It is jouy plain dut}^, and your only safety, to 
do what you believe to be, on the whole, most agreeable 
to the word and will of Christ, at whatever sacrifice of 
your tenderest earthly feelings. In following this rule, 
you can do no dishonor to your parents. On the con- 
trar}^, if they were Christians, and acted in reference to 
your baptism, according to what they believed to be the 
will of the Lord, you will dishonor them, and show your 
self unworthy of their example and instructions, if yon 
refuse to do now what you believe to be the will of the 
Lord in reference to the same matter. You will best 
honor them, whether living or dead, by acting, with your 
light, on the same principles on which they acted with 
theirs. If that sainted father or mother could speak to 
you now from the blessed abodes, the revered and famil- 
iar voice would not tay to you, '' honor every thing which 
16 



i8o The Evils of Infant Baptism. 

I honored, and believe eveiy thing which I believed, if 
.you wish to show respect to my memory.'' Oh no ! that 
voice would rather say, ''honor and obey Christ, the 
Lord, before all others, even before me : if you act other- 
wise, you will act contrary to my example and instruc- 
tions ; you will indeed dishonor me, and make me ashamed 
of my child." Make this dutiful resolve then at once, 
that the will of Christ, according to your own best un- 
derstanding of it, shall be jouv supreme and controlling 
rule of action, whatever may be opposed to it. And if 
in your deliberate judgment you have never received 
any thing that ought to be regarded as Christian bap- 
tism, this is the Lord's message to you to-night — ''why 
tarriest thou ? arise and be baptized," The closing year 
reminds us all, that we must make haste to discharge 
our unfulfilled duties, lest we lose forever the opportu- 
nity of fulfilling them.* 

And one of the duties which we ought not to leave 
unperformed is, to endeavor to correct the errors of our 
brethren. We are to do this, indeed, in a spirit of humil- 
ity and charity, not as if we were infallible, any more 
than they ; nor as if we had anj^ dominion or superiority 
over them ; but as if we had sincere and earnest convic- 
tions ; as if we loved the truth, and felt bound to bear 
witness to it ; as if we loved our differing brethren, and 
longed to see them partakers of every good which we 
enjoy. We have, as Baptists, had the privilege and 
honor of helping our brethren of other names to gain 
some valuable acquisitions of Christian liberty and 
Christian truth. Our testimony in times past against 
all persecution for religious belief, all restraint upon 
Christian Vforship, and all unhallowed alliances of church 
and state, has not been in vain. It is mainly through 

* This discourse was preached on Sunday evening, December 31st^ 1865. 



The Evils of Infant Baptism. i8i 

the fearless testimony and the patient sufferings of Bap- 
tists, that these evils have come to be so generally seen, 
and so extensively abolished ; and that the}^ are now so 
sure to be ere long abolished universally. Nor has our 
persistent testimony against Infant Baptism been Tvith- 
out effect. It has resulted in the very extensive, and 
continually extending renunciation or neglect of the 
practice, to the great advantage, as we honestly believe, 
of those who have so renounced or omitted it.* We are 
encouraged, therefore, to continue this testimony. We 
are not afraid nor ashamed to persist in bearing witness 
against what we firmly believe to be perversions of the 
Lord's ordinances. We know that for this we are re- 
garded by some as disturbers of the peace of Zion, and 
hindrances to the union of Israel. But we have no hope 
of any union of Christians, and no desire for any, which 

* The following facts, taken from official reports, are cited in proof of 
the growing decline of Infant Baptism, especially among the more deci- 
dedly evangelical Pedobaptists. In the Old School Presbyterian Church 
for the year ending May, 1863, there were 2165 adults baptized to 10,194 
infants, a little more than 1 to 6. In the New School Presbyterian 
Church, during the same year, there were 1556 adults baptized, to 3,191 
infants, about 1 to 2. In the Methodist Church North, in the year 1S65, 
the number of adults baptized was 29,150; of infants 32,891, or 14^ to 16. 
In the Congregational Churches of the United States, the number of in- 
fants baptized in the year 1861 was only a very small fraction above 1^ to 
each church. In the following year, the number was less by 149, and the 
adults baptized exceeded the infants by 841. The former were only in the 
proportion of 7 to every 5 churches, while the latter were in the proportion 
of 7 to every 4 churches. In more than half the New England States, the 
number of adults baptized in the Congregational Churches has been for 
many years greater than the number of infants. In Vermont, there was, 
in 1859, 1 infant baptized to every 52 members; in 1860, 1 to every 80 
members. Where Infant Baptism is universally practiced, the annual pro- 
portion is about 1 to every 20 members. In Connecticut, the proportion 
of infants baptized in 1852 was about 3 to every church j in 1802, about 2 
to every church ; and in 1864 there was a falling off of more than 100 from 
the previous year. In 82 churches, including 7421 members, there were 
no infants baptized during the year. 



1 82 The Evils of Infant Baptism. 

requires the suppression of individual convictions, or 
any restraint upon their suitable utterance. The onl}^ 
union which we hope for and pray for is such as can be 
attained by '' speaking the truth in love.^^ We look for 
the time, and if our wishes do not deceive us, we see it 
approaching, when religious controversy, or, if that 
term is objectionable, religious discussion, shall be an 
acknowledged means of grace and help to union. Noth- 
ing more is necessary to make it so, than the observ- 
ance of this simple apostolic rule, ^^ speaking the truth 
in love." If you will take the trouble to examine 
the passage * where Paul uses this expression, you 
will see that he uses it in just this connection. He re- 
commends it to us, as a means of removing the errors 
that divide us, and attaining to unity of faith and knowl- 
edge, so as to become one compact body, under Christ 
the common head. To this glorious consummation, so 
long desired and waited for, the swift years are hasten- 
ing the church of God ; and whoever persuades one dis- 
ciple of Christ to exchange one error which he held for 
one truth which he lacked, contributes his mite toward 
the perfect union of all disciples in the truth. '' Every 
plant which my Heavenly Father hath not planted shall 
be rooted up." God is continually fulfilling this word — ■ 
now tearing up these plants in the mass, by the rude 
violence of revolutions, to the great disfigurement of the 
ground for a time; and now loosening and eradicating 
them^ one by one, with the gentle hand of Christian pa- 
tience and faithfulness. Both processes are needed, and 
he will suffer both to go on, until every thing that poisons 
the air, or offends the sight, or encumbers the ground, 
is removed from his garden, and nothing remains but 
what his hand has planted there. 

* Ephesians iv. 15. 



YIII. 

THE COMMUNION. 



By henry G. WESTON, D.D., 

Pastor of Madison Avenue Baptist Church, New Tori. 



" For t have received of the Lord that which also i delivered unto you, That 
THE Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread : And 
when he had given thanks he brake it, and said, Take, eat ; this is my body 
which IS broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same 
manner also he took the cdp, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the 

NEW testament IN MY BLOOD : THIS DO YE, AS OFT A3 YE DRINK IT, IN REMEMBRANCE 
OF ME. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink THIS CUP, YE DO SHOW 

THE Lord's death till he come." — 1 Corintldans xi. 23-26. 

Around the ordinance, the institution of which is 
here described, gather the controversies of centuries. 
A history of the communion would be almost a history 
of the church. By a sad mockery of its true character, 
it has been brought into unhallowed alliance with 
nearly every sphere of man's activity or interest. It 
has been made a means of regeneration, a declaration 
of admission to church-membership, a qualification for 
office, and a sacrifice for the dead ; it has been played 
with as a puppet, and worshiped as a God ; it has been 
the shibboleth of parties ; it has been x^ressed into the 
service of bigotry, and made a test of fellowship ; hate 
and revenge have used it as their instrument ; but these 
very perversities have testified to its inherently high 
position in the system of Christianit,y. Spirit of 
God ! guide us as we approach this Hol}^ of Holies ! 
direct us into the true knowledge and understanding 
of its divine nature, and specially fit us to lay hold 

(183) 



184 The Communion. 

of it in our hearts, that we may know that true 
communion with Clirist which this service declares. 

On the very threshold of our discussion we are met by 
an objection, urged ordinaril}^ on the ground of the spirit- 
uality of the new dispensation, that in the kingdom of 
Jesus Christ an ordinance like this could not be meant to 
be perpetual, that it belongs to those carnal rites suited 
to an immature state of religious education, and that, if 
it be continued, the method of observing it must be a mat- 
ter of comparative indifference to him who looks at the 
heart. But the words of the Scripture in our text seem 
to be decisive on the first point ; ^' Ye do show the 
Lord's death till he come." This is the language of an 
apostle, who, more than any other, denounces every 
thing which conflicts with his sublime idea of a kingdom 
that is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace, 
and joy in the Holy Ghost, and if he saw no inconsist- 
ency here, we may reasonably conclude there is none. 
It is a strange spirituality which leads us to reject, not 
rites of human device, but those of divine appointment, 
or to undervalue even the manner of celebratins: an ordi- 
nance which holds such a place in Christ's esteem, that 
when, after his death, he commissioned a new apostle, he 
gave him, by special revelation, information with regard 
to its origin, and directions how it should be kept ; 'Tor 
I received from the Lord," says Paul, " that which I also 
delivered unto you." 

The nature and design of the communion, and the 
methods, occasions, and incidents of its observance, can 
be learned alone from the New Testament. Abstract 
reasoning has little weight in relation to positive insti- 
tutions. They derive all their authority and meaning 
from the will of their Founder, and, in their domain, his 
words, with whatever light may be thrown upon them 
from competent sources, must be our sole guide. The 



The Communion. 185 

study of the New Testament, I think, will reveal the 
following as the chief features of this ordinance. 

I. It is commemorative. *' This do in remembrance 
of me." 

Symbolic and other memorials of important occur- 
rences have been known to all. ages, and have their 
orio'in in the nature of man. These monumental 
witnesses are far more effective in diffusing and perpetu- 
ating the knowledge of such events than any record in 
words could be. When incorporated into religious cus- 
toms of more or less frequent observance, they gain a 
hold on the common mind which nothing else can equal. 
The ordinance before us recalls continually the great 
fact of facts in our Lord's history, that he died. Not 
even the express and emphatic language of the Scripture 
seems to present so incontrovertiblj^ the truth that 
Christ's great mission in this world was to make a sac- 
rifice for sin, as this constant commemoration of his 
death, in accordance with his directions. It would be 
much easier for those who den}^ the scriptural doctrine 
of the atonement to pass by or explain away those por- 
tions of holy writ which express this truth in positive 
and dogmatic statement, and to dwell rather on those 
which speak of his life and teachings, than it is for 
them to account for this undeniable and most note- 
worthy fact, that the great Christian feast commemorates 
Christ's death. Other men are remembered by their 
followers ; schools and sects and philosophies have their 
celebrations ; but, while the admirers of the great ob- 
serve festally the birthdaysof their heroes or the anniver- 
saries of their accession to places of ]30wer and influence 
or of their recognition by the world, where can be found 
an instance of men's commemorating with joy the djdng 
hour of the one they wish to honor? And what ex- 
planation can be given of this, other than the ready 
16* 



136 The Communion. 

and all-sufficient one, that, whereas other men accom- 
plished what they did by their lives or their teach- 
ings, Christ wrought his great work for mankind by 
his death. 

It is one of the features that commends this ordinance 
to every Christian, that it is a positive institution and 
thus offers an opportunity for presenting a test, an evi- 
dence, and an offering of love, which is specially grateful 
to him who gives, and to him who receives. Coming 
into being in closest proximity to our Saviour's passion, 
its birth hour touching Gethsemane and Calvary, 
solemnly appointed in the last moments of life when 
nothing can be conceived of as engaging our Lord's 
attention which is not of "the greatest importance — this 
rite holds on every account a special place in the Chris- 
tian's affections. It is often the want of true love to the 
Saviour which makes men turn from the representation 
of Christ's death, made by himself as he would have it 
remembered and set forth, to sensuous pictures and 
images of the crucifixion and burial and resurrection, 
drawn by fancy, adapted to awaken the emotions of the 
natural heart, but, to nourish faith or love, utterly 
powerless. 

II. It is declarative! ''Ye do show the Lord's 
death." 

In this ordinance, we do more than remember an act 
or a person. The word translated '' show" means to 
declare, to announce, and, in most passages where it 
occurs in the New Testament, is translated ''preach." 
" They preached through Jesus the resurrection from 
the dead:'"^ " Through this man {^preached unto you 
the forgiveness of sins :"f "Whom therefore ye igno- 
rantly worship, him declare I unto you. "J The em- 



^ Acts iv. 4. f Acts xiii. 38. % ^^^s xvii. 23. 



The Communion. 187 

blems, also, which are spread on the table, so significant 
in their teachings, show that the rite is more than com- 
memorative. In setting forth Christ's death, it declares 
not merely the fact that he died, but the manner and 
purpose of his death. And as the death of Christ was 
the great central point of his history, toward which every 
line in his life converged, so this ordinance gathers unto 
itself all that death includes and comprehends. 

It declares an incarnated Saviour — a Saviour who had 
body and blood, a Saviour who became for our sakes subject 
to death. It shows forth the manner of his death. His 
body is broken before our eyes. It tells more than this 
■ — it annotinces the purpose of his death. He might 
have died for us out of love to man, as human benefac- 
tors have done, he might have died because the earth 
could not endure his holiness, and then his death would 
have been worthy of commemoration. But what means 
this wine, typical of his blood? Why are these two 
elements used ? Does not the broken bread set forth 
sufficiently his death ? Yes, if it were only his death 
that we commemorate, his blood, which in a being 
merely human, would have no significance apart from 
his body, has great meaning here, because he is a sacri- 
fice for sin. It is the hloocl that maketh an atonement 
for the soul.^ *' This is mv blood of the jN'ew Covenant, 
which is shed for many for the remission of sins."f 
Hence, this ordinance declares those things in us which 
made that death necessary ; our guilt, our deserved con- 
demnation, and our utter helplessness. How utterly 
has Rome, in that strange ceremony which she calls the 
mass, departed from Christ's institution; denying the 
cup to the laity, and putting a v/afer on the tongue of 
the communicant ; having no broken bread, no poured 

* Leviticus xvii. 11. f ^^^^tt- xxvi. 28. 



1 88 The Communion. 

wine ; recognizing neither Christ's death, nor his atone- 
ment. 

But it tells as much of life as of death — of what Christ 
works in us, as well as what he has done for us. It de- 
clares Christ to be the life of our souls — onr daily bread, 
nourishment, and strength. It sets forth the identity 
of Christ with his people, their common life, the union 
taught in the Bible both in express terms and in many 
similitudes. It assures us of our possession of Christ, 
that he is not only given /or us, but is given to us. As 
freely as the officiating minister breaks and gives the 
bread, and as truly as we receive it, so freely and truly 
does Christ give himself to us. 

Not only does this ordinance declare what waiS done 
on Calvary, and what is doing in our souls, it announces 
what is to be. The Past, the Present, and the Puture 
are closely intertwined in joyous fellowship, in every 
celebration of this rite. '^ Till he come." The gathering 
of the disciples to break bread looks to the future as well 
as the past. The thoughts of the communicants turn back- 
ward to Calvary, but they go forward also. They hear 
something besides the groans of a dying Saviour. They 
look for the glorious and triumphant Messiah ; that brow 
which was crowned Avith thorns they are soon to behold 
bearing the diadem of regal dominion. The suffering 
and the conquering, Emmanuel, so closely associated 
in the pages of the prophets, and so separated by the 
Church's night-time, are brought together by faith at 
this table. Here the saints continually proclaim their 
expectation of the return of their now absent Lord. 
They declare their unwavering conviction that he will 
come : that his kingdom will not be overturned by the 
malice of foes or the treachery of friends : that there 
shall never be wantino; those who will celebrate his death 
in this simple and touching rite, until he come again. 



The Communion 189 

III. It is an act of communion. '^ The cup of blessing 
which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of 
Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the com- 
munion of the bod}^ of Christ ? For we being many are 
one bread, and one body ; for we are all partakers of 
that one bread."* 

That the ordinance is something more than mei'ely 
commemorative and declaratory appears from a variet}^ 
of considerations. Observe the name itself; it is the 
communion, xovvi^via, a word which, by its own force, and 
by its scriptural use, must always embrace more per- 
sons than one. The broader desio-n of the institution is 
taught also in the command, '^ Eat, drink ^^e all of it.'' 
An exhibition of the elements would have served all the 
purposes of commemoration, and if any thing more were 
necessary to make the rite declarator}^, it would be suffi- 
cient that an individual eat and drink in the retirement 
of his closet. But this would not be complying with 
Christ's requirements. The communion cannot be ob- 
served by a single person. It is a joint act. There 
must be ''the many," f or the significance of the one 
bread and the one body is lost. It is the church's privi- 
lege when they are come together in one place. To a 
like conclusion are we led by a study of the circumstances 
which surrounded the original institution of the rite in 
the upper room at Jerusalem. JSTot all of Christ's disciples 
were there ; some were absent, whom he loved most 
dearly ; Mary, and Martha, and Lazarus received no 
summons to the sacred assembly. But around the 
board were gathered all the apostles. Christ did not, as 
in Gethsemane and on the Mount of Transfiguration, 
select from among them three special friends. It is a 
question deserving serious attention, why that company 



■=i^ 1 Cor. X. 16,17. tlCor.x. ir. 



190 The Communion. 

consisted of the twelve, and of them only ; and the an- 
swer is a reply to most of the objections which are 
made to the principles which govern the Baptist 
Churches in the administration of the rite. It is a 
church ordinance ; it is the ordinance of that one body 
of which the Apostolic College was the representative ; 
and therefore, it was with them, and with no others, 
Christ partook of the feast. And we no more confine 
Christian affection and the name of Christians to those 
whom we invite to the table of the Lord, than did Christ 
refuse his name or love to those beloved ones who stood 
by him at the cross, but who did not partake with him, 
on the preceding evening, of the symbols of his death. 

But the Communion imlplies more than the presence 
and act of the church, in distinction from the act of an 
individual ; it includes HIM of whom his people are made 
partakers. The Scripture gives no countenance to the 
figment of transubstantiation — a view which it has been 
well said^ is poverty itself compared with the evangelical 
— nor to the theory of consubstantiation ; but we must 
be careful, in our eagerness to avoid the error of material- 
izing the solemn words of Christ, ''This is my body, 
this is my blood, '^ not to adopt the shallow opinion that 
the only benefilt of this rite consists in its power to afifect 
the Christian's feelings. This hollow theory has been 
applied to prayer and other religious duties, but it has 
no attractions for the true Christian. He approaches the 
table of his Lord with the deepest solemnity, for he beholds 
his Lord's body, he hears the words of the apostle — " The 
cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of 
the blood of Christ ? The bread which we break, is it not 
the communion of the body of Christ?" He does not 
undertake to define, in exact words, those spiritual ideas 
which elude expression by clearly-marked logical Hues 
and boundaries ; for he recognizes fully the evident fact, 



The Communion. 191 

that on the ordinance which is the most affecting sj^mbol 
of the sublimest of truths — '' Except ye eat the flesh of 
the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ^-e have no life in 
you,'"^ " He that eateth my flesh and drinketh m}'' blood, 
dwelleth in me and I in him,"f — there must rest, in a 
measure, whatever obscurity belongs to that most pro- 
found and mysterious subject. When the union between 
Christ and his people can be exactly set forth in any 
form of words, so that the understanding can grasp it ; 
when that m3^stical union, transcending, as it does, 
any other possible union — a union, as good Bishop 
Hall saj's, " not merely virtual, accidental, metaphorical, 
but a true, real, essential, substantial union, so that in 
natural union there may be more evidence, there cannot 
be more truth'' — a union embracing the bodies, as well 
as the souls of the believers — when this union can be 
divested of all mj^stery, and expressed in words so as to 
be perfectly intelligible to the intellect, then may we 'ex- 
plain, with equal fullness and clearness, every thing per- 
taining to these symbols. Until then, faith as well as 
knowledge, the heart as well as the mind, must interpret 
these words — " The communion of the body of Christ;'' 
''the communion of the blood of Christ;" words which, 
by the sanctified consent of Christendom, have given to 
this ordinance a unique and holy character. For if no 
other partaking of Christ is here than may be found in 
prayer or meditation or other religious exercise, would 
it not have been called communion with Christ, rather 
than the communion of the bod}^ and of the blood of 
Christ ? 

And let it not be supposed that we teach by this that 
there is any thing in partaking at the Lord's table essen- 
tial to salvation. jSTot at all. The salvation of the soul 
does not depend upon any outward ordinance. But as 

■^ Jo!iii vi. 53. I John vi. 56. 



ig2 The Communion. 

there is a blessing in public worshijD which can only be 
obtained by participation therein, though a believer may 
be hol}^ and happy who has never seen a gathering of the 
saints ; as there is a blessing found in the reception of 
baptism, and nowhere else, to the finding of which mul- 
titudes can testif}^, although unnumbered happy ones have 
gone to heaven who have never been baptized ; so the com- 
munion of the body and blood of Christ, to the worthy re- 
cipient, has its own special blessing, that can be found only 
at the table of our dying Lord. It is a blessing which far 
transcends that which Rome seeks in hei* interpretation of 
the words of Christ, even if her highest conceptions and all 
her boastino- were true. Our service is a communion. ''The 
Christ of the mass is not turned toward the soul, but 
toward God ; and the feelings of the church in the mass 
are to be just such as it would experience were Christ 
actually dying over again his sacrificial death."* With 
us it is a living Christ whom we come to meet. We find 
and recognize his death here, but it is more than death 
that we find — more than the results of his death even — 
more than the merits of his atonement ; we come to the 
table, not so much to secure the divine redemptive vir- 
tues, or any impersonal thing, even grace itself, as to 
"• farther the celebration and intensification of direct, 
personal, loving fellowship between Christ and the soul.'^ 

The Communion is not merely a commemoration, tell- 
ino* what Christ once did — a monmnent of blessed service 
performed and love shown centuries ago in other lands, 
nor merely a prospect of good things to come ; we are 
not shut up to remembrance and expectation, having 
onl}^ absent joys in our mind ; we worship and meet a 
living and present Lord. 

lY. In this ordinance, the New Testament worship 

* Dorner. 



The Communion. i 



93 



culminates. The end of Christianity for man is living 
fellowship with God. All Christian worship announces 
and jcelebrates the reconciliation of the worshiper, with 
God in Christ ; and this idea finds its climax in the Com- 
munion. All preceding religious rites appear here in 
spiritual meaning and fullness. Circumcision, which pro- 
mised a peculiar people for God ; the passover, which fore- 
told the redemption of that people ; baptism, which de- 
clares the redemption accomplished and owned of God by 
the resurrection from the dead; the sacrifices which smoked 
on Mosaic altars — are all gathered and fulfilled here. 
The various methods of worship — individual, social, spirit- 
ual, external, etc. — kindl}^ provided by God to meet the 
manifold wants of man, and to accomplish the great pur- 
poses of spiritual training, are combined in this rite in their 
highest forms. Here is the act of the individual, for unlike 
any other social service, this requires a distinct partici- 
pation by every person. Biit it is more than an indi- 
vidual act, as we have previously seen — it is associated 
worship, and yet not a promiscuous gathering, but the 
worship of the church, solemnly convened for that pur- 
pose—and God, who has declared that he loves the gates 
of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob, has 
given his largest promises to his assembled saints. Here 
is set forth Christ — Christ, the Atonement — Christ, the 
Life — Christ, the King. In the common preaching of 
the gospel, where Christ is declared, he is too often 
rejected by many to whom the tidings of salvation 
come. But in this ordinance, 'the public reception of 
Christ is coextensive with the presentation of him. In 
accordance with this idea, in the primitive times, none 
but communicants were permitted to remain during the 
celebration of the Eucharist. In other religious cere- 
monies, in baptism and the preaching of the gospel, there 
is no absolute necessity for any accompanying vocal 



194 The Communion. 

prayer or praise. The service is complete without thein. 
But the communion cannot be, without audible address 
to God ; the mere eating and drinking do not consti- 
tute the feast. The cup and bread must be blest ; the 
church's thanksgiving and request must come up before 
God. Devotion, moreover, in its highest moods, de- 
mands silence as well as speech. The soul in its soar- 
ings after Christ becomes impatient of words — they are 
too weak to bear the burden which it lays npon tliem, 
and the instinct of Christians always requires that there 
be a portion of time during the communion when every 
voice is hushed, that the heart, undisturbed b}^ any in- 
truder, in solemn silence, may syllable the emotions of 
love and gratitude which the tongue is ]30werless to 
express. The offering of our substance is alwaj^s a 
component part of complete public worship, and by the 
same instinct, immediately after the reception of the 
elements, a contribution is taken for the poorer mem- 
bers of the church. The singing of a hymn closes a rite 
in which all other rites are brought together and intensi- 
fied — in v/hich the church has assembled as a body for 
the solemn purpose of the celebration — in which the 
pastor and deacons, the full New Testament complement 
of church oflScers, have officiated — in which every indi- 
vidual member has taken an outward and equal part — 
in which Christ has been set forth and accepted in 
solemn symbols — in which the great facts of the gospel, 
past, present, and future, have been declared — in which 
the voice of prayer and' praise has been heard — in which 
an offering of our substance has been made, remember- 
ing both our Lord and our needy brother. It is the 
complete circle of Christian worship, a fitting type of 
that coming kingdom of the Father, in which Christ is 
to drink the fruit of the vine new with his disciples. 
If the views of this ordinance presented in this dis- 



The Communion.' 195 

course are correct, it is evident that a due regard to the 
high and holy place which it occupies, forbids its being 
emploj^ed as a preliminary or adjunct to any thing else, 
however important. All other things may prepare for 
the communion, but it may not rightfully be made a 
means to any thing except those great ends, all of 
which are to be regarded in every celebration. Super- 
stition has carried the elements to the bedside of the 
djang ; the influence of the same false faith has caused 
them to be hastily spread and partaken of in the hour 
of danger on shipboard, and elsewhere ; the eating of 
the broken bread has been made a prelude to sacred 
and civil office, a manifestation of brotherly kindness 
and the union of Protestants ; but, however we may re- 
spect the motives of those who thus use the sacred rite, 
our study of the word of God forbids our compliance 
with any such custom. An institution occupying the 
place this does in the Christian economy, must be kept 
for the purposes for which Christ designed it. 

Thus jealously guarded and exalted, there will be no 
necessity for fencing it about with those hindrances and 
restrictions, unknown to the Xew Testament, with which 
it has often been encircled ; no need of surrounding it 
with such fastings and discipline, that the trembling- 
soul dares approach but seldom, and then w^ith a fear 
and terror that almost destroys the true character of 
the ordinance. It is the great gospel feast ; it is the 
table where Christ summons his beloved and ransomed 
ones and communes with them. Solemn as is the place, 
the celebration should be one of the devout est joy. 
Here faith, and hope, and love should burst the bounds 
which too often confine them. Here every Christian 
grace should be in highest exercise. It is none other 
than the very gate of Heaven. 



IX. 

THE SYMBOLISM OF THE COMMUMOK 

Bt EEV. LEMUEL MOSS, 

Professor of Systematic Theology in the University at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. 



"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and 

GAVE IT TO THE DISCIPLES, AND SAID — TAKE, EAT ; THIS IS MY BODY. AND HE TOOK 
the OUP, and GAVE THANKS, AND GAVE IT TO THEM, SAYING, DRINK YE ALL OF IT, FOR 
THIS IS MY BLOOD OF THE NeW TESTAMENT, "WHICH IS SHED FOR MANY FOR THE REMIS- 
SION OF SINS. But I say unto you, I TTILL not drink henceforth OF THIS FRUIT OF 
THE VINE UNTIL THAT DAY WHEN I DRINK IT NEW WITH YOU IN MY FATHER'S KING- 
DOM."— J/a^^/ieM; xxvi. 26-29. 

por i have received of the lord that which also i delivered unto you, that the 
Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread ; and when 

HE had given thanks, HE BRAKE IT, AND SAID, TAKE, EAT ; THIS IS MY BODY WHICH 
is BROKEN FOR YOU ; THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME. AFTER THE SAME MANNER ALSO 
HE TOOK THE CUP, WHEN HE HAD SUPPED, SAYING, THIS CUP IS THE NEW TESTAMENT IN 
MY BLOOD ; THIS DO YE, AS OFT AS YE DRINK IT, IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME. FOR AS OFTEN 
AS YE EAT THIS BREAD, AND DRINK THIS CUP, YE DO SHOW THE LoRD'S DEATH TILL HE 

COME." — 1 Corinthians xi. 23-26. 

*' The CUP of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of 
Christ ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of 
Christ ? For we being many are one bread, and one body ; for we are all par- 
takers OF THAT ONE BREAD." — 1 Coriiitliians X. 16, 17. 

These passages of Scripture at once bring before us the 
theme of this discourse, to wit — The Symbolical Sig- 
nificance OF the Lord's Supper. 

I. The Lord's Supper attests and symbolizes the life, 
death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is, in this 
aspect of it, of the nature of a monument, erected to 
commemorate events contemporary with its institution. 
It is thus one of the stones in the solid historical basis 
upon which Christianity rests, and becomes a powerfur 
argument for its truth and divinity. It may be con- 
(196) 



The Symbolism of the Communion. 197 

fideiitly asked of the objector to the gospel, How could 
this ordinance have been established, professedly at the 
time of the events which it memorializes, if the events 
never occurred ? It is not put back in a mythological pe- 
riod, nor in a region of obscurity, separated from known 
facts by intervening chasms of ignorance and conjecture. 
There is a clear, white track of history, kept open and 
continuous by the Bible and the Church, up to and be- 
3"ond the time of its establishment. The chain of evi- 
dence is complete through all these centuries, to the last 
link. And just as the Passover attested, beyond the 
possibility of cavil, the deliverance of the Jews from 
Egypt, so we claim that the Lord^s Supper attests the 
life, death, and resurrection of the Saviour. The re- 
cently-discovered monuments, tablets, and inscriptions 
of the ancient empires of the East, are rightly regarded 
as of the highest historical value. They attest and eel 
ebrate contemporary transactions, and could not, when 
the facts were fresh in the minds of the peo23le, greatly 
falsify them. In like manner and for like reasons — 
thouo-h strono:er in this case than in those — the ordi- 
nances of Christianity^ authenticate the gospel. They 
were established openly, when the vast majority of the 
people were hostile, and their record has descended to 
us in the testimony of foes as well as of friends. Every 
requisite of a- valid and sufficient historical argument is 
here met, and it cannot be successfully disputed. 

When, then, we partake of the Communion, we declare 
our belief in the ^ew Testament narrative of €>ur Sa- 
viour's life. It is a Confession of our Faith, drawn up 
by Christ himself, and solemnly signed by us. It is the 
afllrmation of our belief in the historical character of 
Christ and Christianity, — that the works, sufferings, and 
final victory over death of our Saviour, were veritable 
occurrences on this earth, at the time statedJn the sa- 



198 The Symbolism of the Communion. 

cred record. ''As often as ye eat this bread and drink 
this cup, ye do show (that is, announce or proclaim) the 
Lord's death till he come." And the Saviour's injunc- 
tion is, '' Do this in remembrance of me.'^ It testifies 
for him. 

II. But this symbolic ordinance exhibits also the pur- 
pose, or object, of the Saviour's life and death. It shows 
that this w^as vicarious — for us and for our sins. The 
marvelous words of distribution are, ''Take, eat; this 
is my body which is broken for you ;" " This is my 
blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for 
the remission of sins." We are not to forget that the 
earthly life of Christ, no less than his death, has a vica- 
rious, a substitutionary, relation to our justification and 
forgiveness — ^just as his glorified life is the source of 
spiritual life in us. The actual work of redemption be- 
gan with the incarnation. Christ assumed human na- 
ture, endured its limitations and weaknesses, and finally 
took it to the cross, under the curse of God as our sin, 
that we might be redeemed from the curse of the law, 
and be made the righteousness of God in him. As Pas- 
cal says, " We bear with life, for the sake of him who 
suffered both life and death for us."^ Or, as Miss Green- 
well has beautifully sung it : 

'^And first with Life 
Thou madest friends for us; our lives in thine 

Grow kind and gracious, Lord! When thou didst make 

Thy soul an offering for sin, thy love 

Was even unto Death ; yea, far above, 

For thou didst suffer Life for us ! — to take, . 
More hard than to resign." f 

And you will here notice, how, in this ordinance, the 
truth symbolized gains breadth and clearness of expres- 

'!• See Miss Greenwcll's Poems, page 314, note E, 
f Poems, .page 207. 



The Symbolism of the Communion. 199 

sion, beyond what it finds in Baptism. There the sym- 
bol sets forth facts of deepest moment in Christ's earthly 
history — to wit, his burial and resurrection — and it sets 
forth our faith in them. He that is baptized into Christ's 
name is avowedly baptized into a confession and par- 
ticipation of his burial and resurrection. But the fact 
and effect of his death are only implied in Baptism, not 
expressed. True, the symbol takes up and memorializes 
those events which render the implication obvious and 
necessary. Still, it is the outward and visible with 
which Baptism deals, only suggesting and hinting the 
inward and spiritual. But here the order is reversed. 
The Lord's Supper, in the breaking of the bread and 
the pouring out of the wine, and in their distribution to 
all the disciples, brings out and emphasizes the actual 
dying of the Lord Jesus — the surrender of the life he 
had assumed — and that this is for the behoof of those 
who share the elements. See how the significant em- 
blems cry out to us, with repeated energy, that the body 
of our Lord was broken — that his blood was shed. B}^ 
this ordinance, then, Christ is evidently, or visibly, set 
forth, crucified among us. He is declared to be the 
sacrificial Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of 
the world. And so, all that was tj'pified hj the sacri- 
fices of the old dispensation, and fulfilled in Ciirist, finds 
commemoration here. 

I say, all that was typified by the sacrifices of the 
old dispensation. "What a vision of smoking altars 
rises up at these words — a long line of bleeding, burn- 
ing victims, stretching through four thousand years from 
Calvary back to the gates of Eden. It would seem that 
immediately after the Fall, even before the expulsion 
from Paradise, God instituted sacrifices, and from the 
skins of the immolated beasts made coverings for the 
nakedness of our first parents — thus sending them forth 



loo The Symbolism of the Communion. 

into the uncultured and accursed world, clothed with the 
prophecy and hope of a divinelY-x)roYided redemption. 
We know, at least, that very early in the history of the 
race the service of such offerings was permanently 
established, for it was no single or singular incident, 
when Abel, the keeper of sheep, brought unto the Lord 
of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof; 
and the Lord had respect unto him and to his offer- 
ing.* '^ By faith Abel offered unto God a more ex- 
cellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained wit- 
ness that he was righteous, God testifying of his 
gifts, "f And the fires then kindled, ^never went out 
until the}^ were quenched in the blood of the Lamb of 
God. The faith of righteous Abel, and of the succes- 
sors to his promises and patience, was destined to long 
and severe trial. From Adam to Noah ; from ISToah to 
Abraham ; from Abraham to Moses ; from Moses to 
David ; from David to John the Baptist ; through the 
flood, and the great dispersion, and the sojourn in 
Egypt, and the wanderings in the wilderness, and the 
desolating captivity ; the growing prediction of a divine 
and triumphant Deliverer had been nourished, as the 
common and crowning inheritance of the race. It sus- 
tained those earliest sons of God in their loneliness in 
the midst of wicked multitudes, and directed the pil- 
grimages of the patriarchs ; it awakened desire and ex- 
pectancy in every maternal heart, from the birth of Cain 
until the anQ:el's salutation sounded in the ear of her 
who was highly favored of the Lord — blessed among 
women ; it stirred the soul of the Psalmist, and glowed 
upon the lips of the prophet; it shaped the legislation 
of the statesman, and guided the administration of the 
king; and it gave life to the religious ritual and service 
of the people. Above all, those sacrifices which they 

* Gen. iv. 1-5. f Heb. xi. 4. 



The Symbolism of the Communion, loi 

offered year by year continually — morning and evening, 
on the . Sabbath, at the new moon, and in the general 
annual gathering ; especially the Day of Atonement and 
the Passover; although the}^ could never make the 
comers thereunto perfect — added strength, clearness, 
and ardor to the sublime expectation of one that could. 

All this comes before us as we sit down to the Supper 
of our Lord. The great cloud of witnesses — those who 
all died in faith, not having received the promises, but 
having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them 
and embraced them, and confessed that they were stran- 
gers and pilgrims on the earth — they encompass us 
about, to assure us that their hopes have been fulfilled. 
Our simple sacramental feast is the testimony that he, 
to whom all these altar-flames, and streams of sacrificial 
blood, and columns of smoking incense pointed — the 
mighty Deliverer — has indeed come. " For it is not 
possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should 
take away sins.'^ " But this man, after he had offered 
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right 
hand of God. ^ ^ ^ ^ For by one offering he hath 
perfected forever them that are sanctified.'"^ 

But there have been, and are, other altars and other 
victims than those prescribed and sanctioned in God's 
ancient covenant with man. Does our eucharistic ordi- 
nance bear an}^ relation to these ? All over our earth, 
and in every age of the race, a sense of sin, and a de- 
sire to remove the divine wrath, or propitiate the divine 
favor, have kindled the flames of animal and human 
sacrifices. Some of these fires are still burning. Xow, 
when you have admitted the ignorance, wickedness, cru- 
elty and wretchedness attested by these heathen sacri- 
fices, do you not still feel them to be the most cogent 
witnesses for the universal presence and power of sin, 

-* Ueb. X. 4, 12-14. 



202 The Symbolism of the Communion. 

and for the source *aiid character of any adequate re- 
demption ? Are they not altars to the unknoion God, 
whose forgiveness and blessing these sinners of the 
Gentiles vainly seek to secure ? And does not this holy 
rite of our only true and universal religion commemo- 
rate him whom they ignorantly worship ? Does it not 
say that he — the desire of all nations — has actually 
come ? that now, once, in the end of the world, he hath 
appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself? 
Yes ; the new covenant of grace and redemption is for 
the world. The high contracting parties — Father, Son, 
and Holy Spirit — signed the solemn league on Calvary, 
in the blood of the eternally-ordained and efiective sac- 
rificial Lamb, and now the promise and proffer of free 
salvation has gone forth to every creature under heaven. 
The symbol of this ratification and commission is the 
communion of the body and blood of Christ. 

And here you must notice the spirit of readiness and 
joyful satisfaction with which Christ made this sacri- 
fice of himself, as shown in the institution of the Sup- 
per. He says, '' With desire I have desired — i. e., I have 
earnestly longed — to eat this Passover with you before 
I suffer." And then, over the bread and wine, he gave 
thanks and invoked the divine blessing. What does all 
this indicate, but the gladness of his loving heart in that 
he could offer such a salvation to man by the sacrifice 
of himself. It was love pervading his heart — divine 
and infinite love — eager to bestow upon its objects the 
highest gifts within its power. He never gave an}^ tiling 
nor did any thing grudgingly — not even when he made 
his soul an offering for sin, and had laid upon him the 
iniquities of us all. It was for th^ joy set before him, 
in seeing many sons brought to the glory of their Father, 
that he endured the Cross and despised the shame. He 
delighted in doing the will of God. The travail of his 



The Symbolism of the Communion. 2oj 

soul was that God and man might be joined in everlast- 
ing blessedness. He went to Calvary for us with bene- 
dictions and thanksgivings for the opportunity and 
power of giving eternal life to a ruined race."^ The jo}^ 
with which you come to the table of the Lord, as you 
remember from what and unto what his dying grace has 
saved you, is but a faint echo and image of his gladness 
of heart when he bestowed the grace. 

III. There is, however, something still deeper and 
more vital in this ordinance. It symbolizes the de- 
pendence of the soul on Christ for spiritual life ; and it 
shows that this life is solely bj^ personal union with 
Christ, and by constant participation of his grace. Not 
only, then, do we herein set forth our historical belief 
in Jesus Christ; not only do we declare our belief in 
his vicarious sacrifice as the Lamb of God to take aw^ay 
the sin of the world ; but we make public and solemn 
confession, also, that our personal salvation is secured 
and retained alone by living faith in him, by intimate 
intercourse and incessant nourishment. What could 
more impressively signify this than the partaking of 
those elements which represent the body and blood of 
the Lord? ''Take, eat," says the Lord himself, ''this 
is my body;" "Take, drink — this is my blood." We 
want no blasphemous theory of transubstantiation, no 
fiction of sacramental grace, to disguise and hinder the 
blessing in this feast of love. It is not that our bodies 
are nourished hy the body of Christ, but that our lives 
are fed from his life ; not that some miraculous energy 
goes forth from the elements themselves, because ma- 
nipulated by consecrated hands ; but that there is an 
awful and holy communion of the believer with his 
Saviour, direct and personal. These elements are in the 
stead of his visible body, so that we ma}^ the better 

* See Krummacher'ri Suffering Saviour, pp. 50, 56, 



204 The Symbolism of the Communion. 

realize his promise, ^' Lo, I am with 3^ou always.'^ They 
are the memorials of his grace ; the signs of his pres- 
ence ; the occasion of the ineffable intercourse. They 
shadow forth that indissoluble union which subsists be- 
tween Christ and the Christian, as the prime and essen- 
tial condition of spiritual life — a oneness, as of the 
members in the body, as of the branches in the vine. 

You have observed that John alone of the evangelists 
has no account of the institution of the Lord's Sapper; 
but you have doubtless also felt that in the sixth chap- 
ter of his Gospel is such an exposition of the ordinance — 
its nature, its ground, and its significance — as only Christ 
could give. It was given shortl}^ after his feeding the mul- 
titude from a few loaves and fishes — itself a striking sym- 
bol of the same truth, that Christ is the Bread of Life. 
The eager crowd gather around the Saviour, not from 
conviction of his divine power and authority, but be- 
cause he had satisfied their earthly wants. They wished 
now to make him king. He exhorts them to labor, ^'not 
for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which 
endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man 
shall give unto you.'' The figure of this exhortation 
recalls to the Jews the ancient miracle of their history, 
when man ate angePs food. ''Our fathers did eat manna 
in the desert ; as it is written. He gave them bread from 
heaven to eat. Then said Jesus unto them, Yerily, 
verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread 
from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread 
from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh 
down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then 
said they unto him. Lord, evermore give us this bread. 
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life ; he 
that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that be- 
lieveth on me shall never thirst." But the Jews ''mur- 
mured at him, because he said, I am the bread which 



The Symbolism of the Communion. 205 

came down from heaven." For they were unwilling to 
recognize the marks of his heavenly origin, and could 
not see beyond the material meaning of his words. His 
reply is, *' I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat 
manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the 
bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may 
eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which 
came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread 
he shall live forever ; and the bread that I will give is 
my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." 
When the Jews again strove with each other in their 
confusion over his language, sajdng, '' How can this 
man give us his flesh to eat ?" Jesus reiterated his 
wonderful'statements, w^ith a more personal application : 
^' Yerily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh 
of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life 
in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, 
hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink in- 
deed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, 
dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath 
sent me, and I live by the Father ; so he that eateth me, 
even he shall live by me. This is that bread which 
came down from heaven; not as your fathers did eat 
manna, and are dead ; he that eateth of this bread shall 
live forever." 

I have cited these words in full, and shall weaken 
them by no comments, that you may have the Saviour's 
own statement and illustration of the dependence of 
our spiritual life on him, and of the richness and bounty 
with which that life is sustained. 

And here we are again impressed with the analogy 

and contrast between the Lord's Supper and Baptism — . 

the peculiar beauty and significance of each. Baptism 

signifies our burial and resurrection with Christ. These 

18 



2o6 The Symbolism of the Communion. 

events can occur but once, and so Baptism is adminis- 
cered but once. It is that birth of the water and of the 
Spirit which, being once accomplished, stands good for 
all time, and for all eternity. But here it is the con- 
tinuous livino' from Christ which is simified. It is not 
so much the dying, and rising again, the being born unto 
God, as the nourishing, and strengthening, and per- 
fecting of that which has been born — that we may 
thereby walk in newness of life, and grow up into him 
in all things who is the head. Hence there is an actual 
partaking of the elements ; hence also the Supper is 
frequently administered. The soul must eat, and eat 
constantly of Christ. Justification, regeneration, con- 
version, are once for all; but growth in grace, assimila- 
tion to Christ — in a word, the sanctification of body, 
soul, and spirit, requires continual supplies from the 
divine fullness, a continual feeding upon the Bread of 
God.'^ The earthly bread I eat I assimilate to myself. 
It nourishes for a time, but it is food that perisheth — 
perishes in the using— decays with the deca^ang body ; 
it is dead bread. But this Bread of God is living bread. 
It assimilates me to itself. It, and not I, has the trans- 
forming power. And so I become like it — immortal, 
holy, and blessed. ^^ Whoso eateth of this bread shall 
live forever." Here is the pra^^er of the communion — 
for the ordinance is a prayer — that we may become like 
him upon whom we feed in symbol, even as that which 
we eat becomes like us. 

Bread of heaven ! on thee I feed. 
For thy flesh is meat indeed; 
Ever may my soul be fed 
With this True and Living Bread; 
Day by day with strength suppUed 
Through the life of him who died. 

* See Neander's Planting and Training, Robinson's edition, page 453. 



The Symbolism of the Communion. 207 

Vine of heaven! Thy blood supplies 
This blest cup of sacrifice ; 
'Tis thy wounds my healing give; 
To thy Cross I look and live; 
Thou, my Life, oh, let me be 
Rooted, grafted, built on thee! 

Union and intercourse with God are the condition and 
source of all spiritual blessedness. This doctrine per- 
vades the Scriptures like a perpetual presence. And 
the figures everywhere used to set forth this truth, seem 
to be a rehearsal of the symbols in the ordinance of the 
Lord's Supper. I can only allude to this thought, 
without expanding it. The eating of the sacrifices 
ofi"ered before the Lord; the solemn Passover meal, and 
other sacred festivals ; the ordinance of the shew-bread ; 
the miracle of the manna ; the gashing rock that fol- 
lowed the journeying Israelites ; the constant repre- 
sentation, in the prophets, of religious blessings by the 
figure of a feast, and of religious desolation by a famine ; 
the "cup of salvation," to denote the portion and pros- 
perity of God's people ; — what are all these, but so 
many ways of saying that man can truly live only as he 
lives upon God ? You at once recall that sweetest ex- 
pression of this universal experience, in the twenty-third 
Psalm. The trusting, happy, hopeful child of God can 
find no more fitting symbols of his present joy and 
blessed prospects — '' Thou preparest a table before me 
in the presence of mine enemies ; thou anointest my 
head with oil ; my cup runneth over.'"^ 

Even where these figures denote affliction and pun- 
ishment, as in the ''cup of indignation," ''the wine of 
God's wrath," or the bitter cup which the Saviour 
drained, that he might fill it with life and joy for us — , 
still the fundamental conception is retained of direct 

* Ps. xxiii. 5. 



2o8 The Symbolism of the Communion. 

relationship to God. It is the soul's portion, immediate 
and personal, from the hand of the Lord. 

We may perhaps go a step further, and say that the 
ancient hospitality, which formed so prominent and 
charming a feature of Hebrew domestic life — so gen- 
erously proffered and so jealously guarded — had its 
root and significance in this : that it was a responsive 
image and reflection in man of the divine bounty and 
grace of the Almighty Benefactor. And so, when 
Abraham entertained the angels unawares — even the 
angel Jehovah — he faintly symbolized the continual 
favor by which the angel Jehovah had cherished him. 

JSTor can we forget that the gospel salvation is in no 
way more richly proclaimed by the Saviour himself, 
than in the miracles of feeding the multitudes, the para- 
bles of the royal banquet, and the prodigal son feasting 
upon the fatted calf, and that ever-shining apocalyptic 
type of the marriage-supper of the Lamb. 

With these thoughts in mind, how impressive and 
tender becom.e the Saviour's plea and promise : '' Be- 
hold, I stand at the door and knock ; if any man hear 
my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, 
and will sup with him, and he with me."* Here 
is the love, the fullness of the love, of him who can 
find no illustration of his grace so equaling his own 
desire, as in that intimate personal intercourse, where 
he can share his favor with the favoring soul. He pleads 
for it as thouo-h his own blessedness must be fulfilled in 
blessino; those who welcome him. He brinojs his feast 
with him. He is the feast himself. Surely, to turn him 
away is loneliness, desolation, death. 

Now, all this is gathered up in our Christian ordi- 
nance of the Lord's Supper ; for it all grows out of 
that which the ordinance pre-eminently symbolizes, the 

* Rev. iii. 20. 



The Symbolism of the Communion. 209 

sacrifice of Christ in expiation of the sins of the world. 
The cup in the hand of the Lord must be drunk by 
every soul of man. To the believer, it is the memorial 
of a sacrifice accepted, and so becomes the symbol of 
peace, communion, salvation, blessedness; because the 
''wine of the wrath of God in the cup of his indigna- 
tion'' did not pass from the Saviour in the awful garden, 
but was drained by him to the dregs in the sinner's 
stead. To the nnbeliever, it is the memorial of a sacri- 
fice rejected ; the '''cup of the wine of the fierceness of 
his wrath" who is unpropitiated and unappeased ; the 
inevitable portion of him who hath trodden under foot 
the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the cove- 
nant an unhol}^ thing ; the sacrament of endless woe. 
We cannot escape from some relation to the blood of 
Christ. If it be not upon us to cleanse us from our siu, 
it will be upon us to seal our perdition. 

TV. This comprehensive Christian ordinance is also a 
pledge of obedience. For it not only symbolizes our 
communion with Christ, but also our solemn covenant 
to fulfill all the conditions of Christian discipleship. By 
partaking of it, therefore, we consecrate ourselves to 
Christ in purity and fidelity. We enter into closest 
intercourse with Christ, eating his flesh and drinking his 
blood ; thereby seeking his holiness and pledging our- 
selves to manifest it. You remember, that no one could 
come to the ancient Passover or other sacrifices, except 
through the most scrupulous ceremonies of purification 
and vows of obedience. ''When Moses had spoken 
every precept to all the people, according to the law, he 
took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and 
scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book 
and all the jpeople, saying. This is the blood of the 
covenant which God hath enjoined you."* And so our 

«- Heb. ix. 19, 20. 
18* 



2IO The Symbolism of the Communion. 

Saviour sa3^s, in consecrating these memorials of his 
perfect sacrifice, " This cup is the new covenant in my 
blood. " We pray and hope for a fresh sprinkling from this 
pure and purifying sacrifice, as we take the cup of the 
communion of the blood of Christ. We pray and hope for 
the thorough purging away of all impure and corrupt- 
ing influences, as we partake of the communion of the 
body of Christ. '^ For even Christ, our Passover, is 
sacrificed for us ; therefore, let us keep the feast, not 
with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and 
wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity 
and truth."''' 

And this eating is a consecration to fidelity, l^o act 
of the Christian life so proclaims entire devotion to our 
Lord as the participation in his Supper. We thereby 
acknowledge our whole reliance upon him for salvation, 
and undertake to live out before men the life derived 
from feeding upon him, at whatever cost of trial, priva- 
tion, or pain. We avow ourselves ready, according to our 
measure, to fill up that which is behind of the afiSlictions 
of Christ in our flesh for his body's sake, which is the 
Church. + It is a fellowship of the sufi'erings of Christ ; in 
a word, a readiness to drink the cup which he drank, and to 
be baptized with the baptism with which he was baptized. 

It is also a consecration to zealous labor, in publish- 
ing the gospel to the world. ^'As often as ye eat this 
bread and drink this cup, ye do show, or, ye are to show, 
i. e., publish, proclaim, preach, the Lord's death till he 
come." The whole of the great commission is symbo- 
lized here; the whole of the church's duty to Christ and 
to the race. This is not a feast for selfish and passive en- 
joyment. These elements are to be distributed to the 
world, and we are debtors to the world until the distri- 

* 1 Cor. V. 7, 8. t Col. i. 24. 



The Symbolism of the Communion. 211 

bution is made."^ When, then, we receive these memorials 
of our Lord's body ^id blood, it is a surrender of our- 
selves to him and his service ; a pledge that we will not rest 
in our Christian activitj^, until every starving wanderer 
from God has been fed with the bread of life and is pre- 
pared to drink the new wine with our Saviour in the 
heavenly kingdom. Not until the streets, and lanes, and 
highways, and hedges have all been explored, and the poor, 
and maimed, and halt, and blind, all gathered into the mar- 
riage feast ; not until the gospel is preached to every crea- 
ture, can our communion vow and covenant of blood be 
fulfilled. 

Y. Again : As has been already intimated, in this 
communion with Christ by the Lord's Supper, there i^ 
also symbolized the communion of Christians through 
him with each other. I shall not here discuss the ques- 
tion, whether the Lord's Supper should be called distinc- 
tively a Christian or a c/iztrc/i ordinance ; i. e., whether it 
indicates the organic and visibly associated relation of 
church fellowship, or the broader spiritual relation of 
Christian fellovrship. It does both. It is an ordinance 
of the Christian church, to symbolize the unity of its 
members as members of the body of Christ, and the de- 
rivation of their life from him. The New Testament 
assumes, that all disciples of Christ will profess them- 
selves such, and that they will do this by becoming 
openly united with other Christians, i. e., by coming 
within the visible church through its appointed ordi- 
nances. Still further ; the ISTew Testament does not 
recognize schism or sectarianism in the church of Christ, 
^. e., it makes no provision for differing or antagonistic 
denominations. " There is one body and one spirit, 

* There is no allusion here to the terms of communion. It is only 
meant that the Lord's Supper, as observed by the church, symbolizes its 
duty to preach the gospel to every creature. 



212 The Symbolism of the Communion. 

even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. One 
Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, 
who is above all, and through all, and in you all."'^ 
'' For as the body is one and hath many members, 
and all the members of that one body, being many, 
are one body, so also is Christ. For by one spirit 
are we all baptized into one bod}^ whether we be 
Jevfs or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and 
have been all made to drink into one spirit. "f Or, 
as it is in that wondrous intercessory prayer of Christ, 
the pledge and pattern of his present incessant plead- 
ing for us : ^' Neither pray I for these alone, but for 
them also which shall believe on me through their 
word ; that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art 
in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one 
in us. And the glory which thou gavest me I have 
given them, in order that the}^ may be one, even as 
we are one ; I in them, and thou in me, that they 
may be made perfect in one. ''J Now this unity is 
nowhere more vividly or significantly set forth, than 
in celebrating the Supper of our Lord — at the first 
celebration of which this prayer was ofi'ered. " For 
we being many are one bread and one body; for we 
are all partakers of that one bread." All the analo- 
gies of nature and of human relationship are put under 
contribution in the Scriptures to signalize and illustrate 
the oneness of Christians with Christ, and through him 
their oneness with each other. The church organization 
is designed to express visibly this all-encompassing 
unity, and the divinely prescribed ordinances are the 
distinctive outward marks of the true church — the mani- 
fest body of Christ. In the communion, these analogies 
find their highest and most striking exhibition. It is 
the union of the brethren of one household at their father's 

* Eph. iv. 4-6. t 1 Cor. xii. 12, 13. J John xvii. 20-23. 



The Symbolism of the Communion. 213 

table; the confession of sinners to a common Saviour; 
the fellowship of saints in a common hope ; the knitting 
together of the members of one body, as fed by the same 
heavenly food and inspired by the same divine life ; the 
covenanted followers of one Redeemer and King, pledg- 
ing their obedience to his every command, and their de- 
votion to his cause until the world shall be subject to his 
authority ; the heirs of one inheritance, rejoicing in the 
foretaste and assurance of coming glory. What, then, 
is more appropriate, or beautiful, or obligatory, than 
Christian unity — unity in Christ ! 

And yet, under the circumstances that now actually 
surround us, we may not invite all who profess and call 
themselves Christians to join with us in this solemn 
feast. In fact, we may not invite any one, for it is not 
our table, but the Lord's. He has prescribed the order 
of the church and of its ordinances. We may not 
modify his prescription. We must forbid the approach 
of all who do not comply with it. For while it is not 
given unto us to alter the legislation of Christ, it is 
required of us, that we contend earnestly for the faith 
delivered once for all to the saints. The ordinances of 
the Christian church are a constituent part of Chris- 
tianity. To change them, is to change the doctrines of 
the gospel, implying a presumption and temerity no 
Avhit less dangerous here than in any other article of 
divine truth. We sit in judgment upon no man's con- 
victions and motives by our practice in this matter ; we 
arrogate no jurisdiction over his conscience ; we do not 
disallow his claim to an experience of the grace of God. 
We simply leave these questions to him and to his own 
Master. We will go with him to the utmost limit of de- 
votion and duty that does not violate the clear command 
of the Head of the church. If we agree not in the 
interpretation of such command and requirement, we 



214 The Symbolism of the Communion. 

must 'separate, for neither lie nor we dare think more 
of outward uniformity among ourselves than of obedi- 
ence to Christ. '' To obey is better than sacrifice, 
and to hearken than the fat of rams."* There is no 
uncharitableness in this, for charity will not sanction 
any failure of fidelity to the Saviour and to the truth. 
It can hide a multitude of sins, but it cannot prompt 
them ; and every failure in obedience to a known com- 
mand of Christ is sin. We only ask what we readily 
concede to all, freedom to follow our convictions of duty, 
and to keep our consciences pure and true for him who 
is our Lord. 'No man could respect us, nor could we 
respect ourselves, should we do otherwise or insist on 
less. There is undoubtedly a great responsibility laid 
upon us in this thing. If we are not correct and honest 
in our views of church order and ordinances, then are we 
schismatics in the body of Christ ; if we are honest and 
correct, then are we worse than schismatics, if we do not 
maintain our trust. 

But let not this controversy hide from you the 
precious fact, so clearly sjanbolized in our Christian 
passover, that the people of God are one — delivered from 
the same bondage, divinely attended through the same 
pilgrimage, and heirs of the same conquest and inheri- 
tance. Our communion with Christ and with each 
other, inspires us to labor for the conversion of the 
world and the unit}^ of the church ; these emblems of the 
one sacrifice for sin becoming a prophecy of that time, 
when the outward unity shall be as complete as the 
inward spirit — when there shall be one fold and one 
Shepherd, one famil}^ and one feast. 

YI. What can I say more ! Is not this simple Chris- 
tian ordinance seen to be full of significance, gathering 

■» 1 Sam. XV. 22. 



The Symbolism of the Communion. 215 

up in itself all the doctrines, duties, and motives of the 
gospel ? Nothing can surpass its beauty, impressiveness, 
and eloquence. It is the confession of our faith, the 
sign of our oneness with Christ, the vow and oath of our 
devotion and fidelity to him, the token of our fellowship 
with the Christian brotherhood, the pledge of our ac- 
tivity for the salvation of the world. Surely we cannot 
suffer this chief religious rite to be a mere appendage to 
another service, a subordinate matter, to be observed 
simply because it is prescribed. We need time, while 
the emblems are before us, to draw some of their mighty 
lessons and fix them in our hearts, to receive somewhat 
of the grace of which they are the means and occasion, 
to feel the refreshment and quickening of the holy com- 
munion they symbolize. 

But, to give you my closing thought, there is more in 
this ordinance than we have yet disclosed. It has rela- 
tion not only to the past and present, but also to the 
future. It is at once the symbol of faith and of hope. 
It is a memorial ; it is also a prophecy. Even this Sup- 
per of our Lord, with all its glories, is oul}^ a shadow of 
good things to come — of a glory that excelleth. As the 
old Passover commemorated the deliverance from Egypt, 
and pointed to what Christ should accomplish in time, 
so this new Passover commemorates our deliverance 
from sin and points forward to what Christ shall accom- 
plish in eternity, when to principalities and powers 
shall be made known by means of the church the mani- 
fold wisdom of God. For he who said, ''Do this in 
remembrance of me ;" in remembrance, that is, of what 
I have done, what I am doing, what I shall jet do in 
my coming and glor}^ ; added also this marvelous word, 
^' I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine until I 
drink it new with you in the kingdom of God.'' Here 
are the fruits of that new creation, when, under the 



2i6 The Symbolism of the Communion. 

new heavens and the neyj earth, it shall attain to the 
liberty for which it is groaning with the children of 
God. Then shall be fulfilled the reconciliation of the 
universe by the cross of Christ ; — the tree of life no 
longer have a flaming sword. We cannot know all that 
this divine promise enfolds, until we find ourselves at 
the marriage Supper of the Lamb. If even now, our 
hearts burn within us while he opens to us the Scrip- 
tures, and oftentimes he makes himself known unto us 
in the breaking of bread, what shall it be when we be- 
come like him and see him as he is and share his glory ? 
when we drink the wine new luith him in his Father's 
kingdom ? But we know this, that in our communion 
now, we look forward as well as backward ; we enter 
into a fellowship of glory, as well as of suflTering ; we 
call before us the new Jerusalem, not less than the old ; 
it is the Passover of Canaan as well as of Egypt and 
the wilderness ; we sit together as in heavenl}^ places 
in Christ Jesus, and have an earnest of that day when 
the vail of invisibility shall be rent asunder, and all 
shall be fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 

" They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more ; 
neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For 
the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed 
them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of 
waters ; and God shall wipe away all tears from their 
eyes."* 

-^' Rev. vii. 16, 17. 



QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE COMMUNION. 



By JOHN W. SABLES, D.D., 

Pastor of Central Baptist Church, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



** Then Jesus said unto them, Yerilt, yerilt, I sat unto tou, Except te eat the 

FLESH of the SON OF MAN, AND DEINK HIS BLOOD, TE HAVE NO LIFE IN TOU." — 

John Yi. 53. 
" go te, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the 
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe 

ALL things whatsoever I HAVE COMMANDED YOU : AND, LO, I AM WITH TOU ALWAYS, 
EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD. AMEN." — 3IaUheW XXViii. 19, 20. 

*' For I HAVE RECEIVED OF THE LORD, THAT WHICH ALSO I DELIVERED UNTO YOU, 

That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread : 
and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, take, eat : this is my 
body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. after the 

SAME MANNER ALSO, HE TOOK THE CUP, WHEN HE HAD SUPPED, SAYING, ThIS CUP IS 
THE NEW TESTAMENT IN MY BLOOD : THIS DO YE, AS OFT AS YE DRINK IT, IN RE- 
MEMBRANCE OF ME. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink THIS CUP, 
YE DO SHEW THE LORD'S DEATH TILL HE COME." — 1 CoHntMans xi. 23-26. 

The Lord's Supper, then, is appointed the perpetual 
memorial of '^the Lord's death." 

That central truth of all revelation, foundation of all 
hope, living medium of all life, the atonement, is the bur- 
den of its ministry. 

^' Till he come." No narrower limit bounds its mis- 
sion. Beginning on the night of his betrayal, and stretch- 
ing on to the hour of his second coming, it quite spans 
the opened dispensation. 

''As often." Then, during all that period, frequently. 
Immediately connected with all that is vital to godliness 
among men, demanding unremitting and frequent observ- 
ance, it is intensely practical, and ought to be under- 
stood. 

19 (2n) 



21 8 Qualifications for the Communion. 

Living only because Jesus died, and breathing only 
with 

" Love 
Higher than the heights above, 
Deeper than the depths beneath. 
Free and faithful, strong as death," 

its study should be grateful ; and the heart where most 
love dwells must understand it best. Fully to under- 
stand and possess the qualifications for its observance 
cannot widely differ from fully understanding the mj^s- 
tery of redemption, and freely participating in its largest 
benefits. 

As this series of sermons was designed to be denomi- 
national, I shall give special prominence to those par- 
ticulars in which Baptists may differ from others. 

I. That qualification for the Communion, which is first, 
and underlies evermore all besides, is faith in our Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

With no reference to the supper did Christ say, " Ex- 
cept ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his 
blood, ye have no life in you." Communion at the Lord's 
table, was subsequently added, to explain and enforce 
that language. 

In those words, Christ is tasking language and figures 
to the utmost, to make intelligible and appreciable what 
is meant by believing with the heart unto righteousness. 
Through successive verses, 52 to 57, he presses the truth 
that, in order to share the benefits of his mediation, 
it is not enough that he has come into the world, that he 
shall live and die for sinners, and ascend to his Father's 
right hand a Prince and a Saviour ; it is not enough 
merely to accredit this, and defend and discourse ever so 
correctly and religiously upon it ; there must be, be37"ond 
that, a conscious, cordial, grateful acceptance of him in 
the offices he came to fill, and in the work he came to 



Qualifications for the Communion. 219 

perform ; there must be this taking him to do and be for 
us individually; there must be this appropriation of him 
to ourselves, as when at a table a man not only sees and 
handles the bread, but takes and eats it, does and must 
make the appropriation of it to his bodily necessities by 
eating it. 

The supper alone can present, more boldly and more 
fully explained, that great cardinal doctrine of the Bible, 
'' The just shall live by faith." It is an actual physical 
exhibition of what is here only described. In one, jou 
hear a description ; in the other, you both hear the de- 
scription and see faithfully and exactly acted out each 
successive particular. Of the bread, he says, '' This is my 
body ;^^ of the wine, " This is my hloocV^ Having made 
the bread and the wine the symbols of his body and blood 
in the work of human redemption, he says, ''Take, eat.^^ 
Each one, in the act of eating, then appears in the act of 
appropriating Christ to himself, Christ in the merit of 
both his obedience and his death. 

In God's completed revelation to man, this is the crown- 
ing representation of that faith by which men are justified 
and sanctified. 

From the foregoing, it will be seen that participation 
in the Communion without faith in Christ is, of necessity, 
a delusion or a mockery. No subjection to catechetical 
instruction ; no observance of rites, human or divine ; 
no judgment of men or acts of churches ; no standing ; no 
ofiice ; no service ; and no depths of sincerity ; can supply 
the lack of a believing heart in the Communion. 

How pointedly this is taught will be seen from such 
passages as the following : 

Mark xvi. 16 ; John iii. 14-16, 18, 36 ; vi. 29, 41 ; viii 
24 ; Acts viii. 3Y ; xiii. 38, 39 ; xvi. 31 ; Romans iii. 28 , 
X. 4 ; Hebrews xi. 6. 

The past existence of faith, moreover, does not meet 



220 Qualijfications for the Communion. 

the truth. In the observance of the supper, its yqyj form 
insists upon the immediate and present exercise of faith, 
walking in Christ as he was received. A life of faith upon 
the Son of God — nothing sliort of that will meet the first 
Scriptural Qualification for the Communion. 

Nor is a living faith the full measure of qualification. 
The Scriptures promptly bring forward a second — it is : 

II. Personal submission to the ordinance commonly 
called baptism. 

This is taught : 

1. By the symbolical representations of the supper. 

2. By express command. 

3. By inspired example absolutely uniform. 
1. Symbolically. 

In connection with the primary design of the supper, 
it has a form significant, additional to participation in 
the atonement. 

Partaking of bread and wine in any possible way, is 
not the Communion. It is a supper that Christ ap- 
pointed, the later Greek dsiTtvov, the principal meal, and 
after the heat of the day. It is a family gathered, an 
evening banquet, a kingdom in possession. 

Symbolically the supper alone would be unaccountably 
abrupt. It brings forward results without antecedents ; a 
family without an origin ; a feast without preparation, and 
guests without invitation ; a kingdom without a history ; 
a sudden consummation without a beginning. The supper 
alone has no knowledge of us till after we have entered 
the family ; does not recognize us till seated at the ban- 
queting-table. From that point it looks forward to the 
heavenly state when the whole redeemed family will sit 
down together in the everlasting kingdom appointed to 
them ; but makes no attempt to reach back over our 
history. It knows nothing of even our introduction to 
its circles. 



Qualifications for the Communion. 221 

If there were no other Christian rite, we might infer 
that no one rite could be instituted which should cover 
the past, present, and future of our relations. But see ! 
there is a sister rite ; one and no more. That rite is, in its 
form, introductory and avowedly initiatory — a rite in the 
observance of which, Christ is said to be ^^ put on ;^^ — a 
rite in which our past relations, both our sin and our 
death to it by the death of him who was delivered for our 
offences, and our appearance again, risen with him who 
was raised for our justification, one and forever insepara- 
ble from him, in which all this is told by its form ; — a 
rite evermore singing, ''To him who loves us and washed 
us from our sins in his own blood, and made us a king- 
dom, priests to God and his Father, to him be the glory 
and the dominion forever and ever. Amen." That other 
sister rite is baptism. '' Buried with him in baptism, 
wherein also jq are risen with him.'' 

With this brought to view all is explained. These 
sister rites joining hands, cover the past and the future 
of the redeemed ; and the elder is baptism. 

It is designed to precede, not to follow the supper. As 
a symbolical ordinance submission to it is indispensable 
to the other ; without it, there cannot be qualification 
for the other. There may be quialification scripturally to 
eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, with- 
out baptism ; but not for the Communion. One may also 
scripturally eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink 
his blood without appearing at the Lord's table ; nay, he 
must, before he ever appears at the table ; but as a sym- 
bolical ordinance, baptism has no place, if not before the 
supper. Coming in after the supper it is too tardy, it 
comes uncalled, it is superseded. Its subsequent ap- 
pearance fails to supply history, where it is needed, and 
can only serve to make jargon by disjointing history 
and reversing its order. 
19^ 



222 Qualifications for the Communion. 

2. Express command. 

''All power was given to me in heaven and on earth. 
Go, therefore, and disciple all the nations, immersing 
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
the Holy Spirit ; teaching them to observe all things, 
whatever I commanded you.'' 

This is our Lord's final charge till '' he comes amidst 
the clouds." It is laid upon his apostles, standing before 
him to represent the whole church on earth, including 
every disciple of every age, the world over. Whatever 
is here enjoined, falls, first and directly, upon the churches 
of Christ ; and then, by implication, upon everyone who 
has ears to hear. It contains three specifications in the 
following order : 

1. They shall go into all the world, seeking to make all 
men Christ's disciples, by preaching the gospel to them. 

2. They shall baptize all who become disciples. 

3. They shall instruct all baptized disciples to prac- 
tice, hold unaltered, and pass down inviolate, all things 
whatsover Christ has commanded. 

If the 07^der here given is inspired, there is no m6r£ 
room for the supper before baptism, in the command, 
than there is place for it before baptism as a symbol. 
Whether infinite wisdom and love have less to do with 
the order than with the subject matter, will be made to 
appear in looking at some possible changes in the order 
of carrying it out. 

First. Reverse the order entire ; make that first which 
is here last. 

We shall then go into all the world, first teaching 
them to observe all things whatsoever Christ has com- 
manded. Teaching whom ? All among the nations 
whom we can teach. Teaching them what ? Whatever 
commands of Christ do not relate to discipleship, and 
that unconverted people can be taught to observe. 



Qualifications for the Communion. 223 

In this reversed order, faith in Christ does not 3^et ap- 
pear. 'Next, baptize those so taught, in the name of the 
Trinity; and, now, seek their conversion by preaching 
the gospel to them. 

We shall then have men, women, and children schooled 
in formalism, and baptized into hypocris}^ preparatory to 
discipleship. We shall compass sea and land to make 
proselytes to Christ, and shall succeed in turning out 
self-sufficient, conceited, haughty, hardened religionist Sy- 
trained to mockery, practiced in deceit and self-decep- 
tion, ten times more the children of Satan than before. 

In the Jewish nation, there had been an extended trial 
of this order of teaching religious observances, with the 
most lamentable results. There was no class of men so 
personally hopeless, and requiring, both for their own 
sake and that of others, such unsparing severity at the 
hands of the great teacher, as that class. 

It will make some difference, then^ whether our Lord's 
great charge is carried out in one order or another. The 
change we have named would tnuch more than neutralize 
its design. 

Let us attempt a change less radical. 

Second. The specification that stands second, let it be 
put first. Simply transpose the first and second. Bap- 
tize first, then disciple, then teach. 

Already it has been tried. Let history bring forward 
the results. On the map, you will see the outlines of a 
vast empire, stretching across all the northern parts of 
Europe and Asia, and compassing nearly half the globe. 
That is Russia, with its sixty or sevent}^ millions of in- 
habitants. Those living masses of immortals, as well as 
those of Greece and contiguous States and large islands, 
are mainly without God ; and almost no missionary effort 
is put forth for them by any Christian people. What is 
it that has rendered the condition and prospects of these 



224 Qualifications for the Communion. 

even worse than that of the heathen ? Why ! that is itself 
called a Christian land — the Bible has been in their pos- 
session for long centuries ; churches are scattered far and 
near, having some of the most magnificent structures in the 
world, with various orders of officiating ministers, all sus- 
tained at governmental expense. Missionary efi'ort among 
such a people ! They accept it as an insult. Scarcely a 
man is in the realm who has not been three times baptized, 
and who is not in full fellowship with the churches. 

What is it that, in those lands, has rendered truth 
powerless, paralyzed every Christian effort, and made 
these the pitiable victims of delusion they are? Is it 
Popery ? No ! Tens of millions of them loathe and de- 
test it. Not Popery, biit this : — Baptism before disciple- 
ship. For see : they begin with baptism, that rite which 
is initiatory ; baptism, then, must change the heart, or 
induct the world into the churches, sweeping away all 
distinction between the churches and the world. But as 
baptism does not change the heart, it has done the other 
thing ; and 3^ou see these fruits. Ah ! yes, and much 
more than this twice told. Baptism before discipleship ! 
that is what the Catholic church avows — ^that is what the 
Lutheran churches intend — that is so-called Pedohaptism. 

Many nations have been sprinkled with clean water. 
They have also been taught much of revealed truth, and 
been schooled in many religious observances. Disciple- 
ship has not followed ; the possibility of it has been put 
further from these than from others. See Austria, Spain, 
Portugal, France, Italy, Mexico, South America, and 
Germany. All of it traceable to that change — baptism 
before discipleship. It has churched the unsanctified 
world by nations, but only to corrupt or stifie and strangle 
the truth. It has produced monster forms of godliness, 
but with no other power than to silence or menace, and 
pursue with malignant hatred, all spiritual religion ; for 



Qualifications for the Communion. 225 

all of which, it claims the sanction of Christ. It has not 
only fatally subverted all truth in its march, but it has 
poisoned the fountains of life. 

Whether any thing else than Baptist testimony and in- 
fluence have prevented a worldly membership from fol- 
lowing Pedobaptism, with results similarly disastrous to 
the cause of truth and the souls of men, in England, 
Scotland, and America, judge you. 

There is possible yet another change in the order of 
carrying out that last injunction. 

Third. Begin, as commanded, with discipleship ; then 
transpose the second and third, so as to allow training 
in the observance of all things (except baptism) to come 
in before baptism. We shall then go into all the world, 
faithfully seeking to make all men Christ's disciples by 
preaching the gospel to them. We shall persistently in- 
sist upon discipleship before baptism ; we shall refuse to 
take a step in advance without it ; but when men truly 
believe, we will say. Who can forbid the Communion that 
these should not partake, who have received the Holy 
Spirit as well as we ? Waiving their baptism, we will 
invite them at once to the Lord's table as disciples, take 
them into membership, and proceed to teach them. 

This too has been tried, and some of its results are be- 
fore us. 

It may seem very harmless to make changes in the 
order, after once discipleship has been secured ; and a 
ver}^ loving thing to pass from discipleship at once to the 
table. Not so has it proven. Under the beguiling 
thought that, by this change, baptism was only trans- 
posed, good men have easily ^aelded ; but that apparent 
change of place has proven to be a daring erasure. 

See : — The unbaptized disciple, in an Open-communion 
Baptist church, if he persists in absenting himself from 
the table, or in neglecting other duties recognized by the 



226 Qualifications for the Communion. 

church, forfeits his standing, and is put away. But 
never did you hear it that if, at the expiration of five or 
fifteen or fifty years, one who had been admitted to such 
a church unbaptized did not see it to be his duty to sub- 
mit to that rite, he should be put away. The thought 
even is unknown. ISTo ; he may persist ever so long in 
neglecting baptism ; his standing is not forfeited ; his 
relations are not disturbed ; his position was never fairer ; 
his influence increasingly weighty. There is no remon- 
strance, no labor, no reproof; nay, he passes on into the 
position of office-bearer and pillar. He may live in the 
neglect of it till the da}^ of his death, and the church of 
which he is a member takes no notice of it. 

What does this mean ? It means that Open-commu- 
nion Baptist churches, in their official capacity, have con- 
sented to drop from the commission the ordinance of 
baptism. If, in individual instances, baptism comes up 
afterward, it comes up from individual convictions, and 
not from any church action ; it comes up, outside of the 
acknowledged jurisdiction of the churches, and after, as 
churches, they have agreed upon its sacrifice. They have 
drawn up and signed the stipulation, that baptism shall 
be observed or not, at the option of each applicant for 
admission. If he says '^ no," they bow assent ; if he says 
^' yes,'' they acquiesce ; but will be no judge of such mat- 
ters. They leave the ordinance to stand without a wit- 
ness. Yes, it is that ; as churches they have consented, 
they have agreed to drop it from the commission. Delib- 
erately thejT- take away its place, as if under promise to 
give it a better, and then desert it. In their practice, as 
churches, in which capacity alone it is that they are 
immediately charged with whatever the commission con- 
tains, in that charged capacity they have betrayed the 
ordinance of baptism. 

What a humiliating spectacle is presented ! Century 



Qualifications for the Communion. 227 

after century withstanding the Pedobaptist brother to his 
face, because he was to be blamed in the matter of change 
ing an ordinance, and still having a separate existence to 
remonstrate against that wrong ; and finally discovering 
that the controversy may be settled by an abandonment 
of the ordinance in dispute. The living child shall be 
divided ! and as the other is not the mother, the proffer 
is not unacceptable. Where the Pedobaptist dared to 
change an ordinance, the Open-communion Baptist has 
dared to strike it out. 

The spectacle is not only humiliating as before men, 
but fearful as in the sight of God. As a command^ the 
estrangement from it is complete. From such lips, of 
course, it can come no longer as a command. They do 
not know it as such : how can the}^ utter it ? So held, the 
ordinance will cease to be administered under individual 
convictions. Will the fire of God's Spirit descend to 
burn that command into the souls of men from their lips ? 
God not often so works. By utter neglect it will die. 
Another must take their crown. 

We say this — mourning over a development of human 
weakness, such as has often attached to the greatest and 
best of men — to give another instance of the perversion 
of judgment that follows every attempt to change, in the 
slightest degree even, the order of Christ's great charge. 
Kesults are accumulating such as these : — The subject of 
baptism, in the pulpit or in the church,^ the apple of dis- 
cord ; the pastor, unconsciously drawn aside from it, and 
bribed by the mixed character of the church itself; the 
ordinance taught or practiced, unwelcome, and finally 
distasteful ; its administration transferred from the Lord's 
Day to a day of the week, to be witnessed by the little 
group, not the multitude; Baptist ministers pastors over- 
Pedobaptist churches ; and Baptist churches of a cen- 
tury's standing transformed to Pedobaptist churches. 



•228 Qualifications for the Communion. 

The venerable and excellent Pengiil}^ is now the pastor 
of a Pedobaptist chnrch. The fearless and faithful Mr. 
Spurgeon, apparently seeing the peril of the churches, 
modifies the system — admitting none to membership who 
are not Baptists, but leaves the table open to all. That 
modification means that the organization itself and the 
property shall not share a common fate with the princi- 
ple involved. Thus much already, and more in promise. 
''Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to 
desolation." 

All this, from attempting the least disturbing change 
possible in the order of the commission. Can further 
proof be needed that the subject-matter of that charge, 
and the order in which it is given, must stand or fall 
together ? To carry out its specifications is possible in 
one order only, and that order the one given. The par- 
ticulars enjoined are so related to each other, that change 
of order, as certainly as change of matter, vitiates the 
whole. Why should the inspiration of the order ever 
have been a question ? Where was it learned that the 
substance, but not the order, of any part of the word is 
inspired? Then, any argument may be broken, each 
sentence torn asunder, every verse displaced. Last of 
all, may explicit orders from the ascending Conqueror 
be tampered with. If Christ does not determine in what 
order that commission shall be carried out, who shall de- 
termine it ? And if his determination is not expressed 
in the commission itself, where shall it be expressed ? 
But, if it is expressed here, let it never again be asked 
where there is direct authority, or the force of a command, 
for requiring us to see that disciples are baptized before 
sitting with them at the table. Bather, where is the line 
or the hint in the living oracles that seems to pei^mit it ? 
On his avowed disciples this farewell charge falls atid 
rests. An attempt to shift this responsibility is in the 



Qualifications for the Communion. 229 

immediate direction of anarchy against government in 
the kingdom of Christ. 

Yes, here it is — express authority — the churches re- 
quired by Christ to give the undivided weight of their 
influence to secure the baptism of every disciple ; required 
to be as unyielding in it, as in insisting upon discipleship 
before baptism, and undeviating in both. 

3. Inspired example absolutely uniform. 

The time when the apostles were baptized is not on 
record. Instead of a direct statement specifying the 
time or the fact of their baptism, we have the following : 

First. Strong presumptive evidence that the apostles, 
who alone i3articipated in the supper on the night of its 
institution, had all been John's disciples. 

It was early in his ministry that Christ made choice 
of these men. From among whom ? From among those 
just called in by his own ministry, or from among those 
whom John had been sent expressly to prepare for him ? 

Following immediately upon John's ministry, the 
choice of men for office, highest in the kingdom, next to 
Christ, would be sure to affect John's standing and 
work in the public estimation. Would our Lord so far 
appear to be a competitor with John for honor as to re- 
serve for his own ministry the calling in and preparing 
of even one for that office? AYhy should thus much of 
honor be withheld from the one to whom it would natu- 
rally belong, if he had done well the work for which he 
was so signally raised up and sent ? To no other would 
such an act have been so painful as to the one whom 
John delighted to herald. How tenderly he guarded 
whatever might affect John's reputation, you will remem- 
ber. Rather than allow disparaging comparison, he 
withdrew entirely from the vicinity of John's labors. 
He coveted opportunity to honor that faithful servant. 
Hear the extraordinary language he uses of him : ''What 
20 



230 Qualifications for the Communion. 

went ye out to see ? A prophet ? Yea, I say unto you, 
and more than a prophet. For this is he of whom it is 
written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, 
which shall prepare thy w^ay before thee. Verily, I say 
unto you. Among tliem that are born of women, there 
hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.'' 

In the choice of apostles, the opportunity had come 
for putting upon John and his work the most signal 
honor. There were also special reasons for such an ex- 
pression. That noble man was now in prison, and his 
scattered disciples, without a leader, were all to be 
gathered to Christ. The choice of every apostle from 
among the tried disciples and fast friends of John was 
the act whereby to win over the whole body of his adhe- 
rents, and publicl}^ vindicate the martyr. 

Probably Andrew is given as a specimen for all.* The 
instance of Matthew is no exception.f Msmj publicans 
were baptized by John, and were not under charge to leave 
their callings, but only to exact no more than was just. 

But w^e have more than presumptive evidence; we have, 

Second. Implied testimony. 

It is in the Acts i. 21, 22. In proposing to fill the 
place of Judas, the special condition of a choice was, 
that the call and discipleship of the man to be chosen 
should reach back entirely through Christ's ministry to 
John's baptism. That was acceptable to all. But it 
could not have been accej^table had there been one 
among them who had been called in later than under 
John's ministry. Had that been true, there could have 
been no reason for making the condition, ''beginning 
with the baptism of John." 

If, then, the apostles had been John's disciples, they 
were among the unnamed multitudes whose baptism by 

* John i. 35-40. t ^^^tt. ix. 9, 



Qualifications for the Communion. 23 1 

him is recorded. On no other terms could they have 
been his disciples. 

Besides, the argument for their baptism is not depen- 
dent upon evidence that they had been baptized by 
John. There is a much shorter method, and beyond the 
power of evasion. They certainly were Clirisfs disci- 
ples. Yery well. Their Master was himself baptized. 
Like his harbinger, also, he baptized all who received 
his doctrine. More than this, his own disciples were the 
administrators in each instance, and were subsequently 
sent out under charge to baptize all who became discix)les. 

Is it conceivable that notwithstanding, they themselves 
had never submitted to the ordinance ! Wherein, then, 
were they disciples ? They could not be his avowed 
and accepted disciples, as the}^ certainlj^ were, and re- 
ject his baptism ; the thing is impossible, because con- 
tradictory. The evidence of the baptism of the apostles 
is circumstantial, but none the less convincing. If there 
was a hint that any one of them was not baptized, that pas- 
sage would be hopelessly inexplicable. Xo unbaptized 
person partook of the supper on the night of its institution. 

The subsequent acts of the apostles can be regarded 
in no other light, than an inspired commentary upon the 
commission. Only about forty days later, it was given; 
and ten days later still, by the endowing of the Holy 
Spirit, they commenced their work under it. 

An attempt to trace the inspired history of the imme- 
diate triumphs of the gospel, in the multiplication of 
believers, will serve to show whether there is evidence 
that any person unbaptized participated in the commu- 
nion, during the times of the apostles. 

A record of their first acts, in doing what Christ en- 
joined in that last charge, is found in Acts ii. 14-41 
The Spirit came in his promised fullness. Peter, with 
characteristic promptitude, arises and preaches the gospel 



232 Qualifications for the Communion. 

to the assembled multitude. Conviction seizes on the - 

hearts of thousands, and the cry is heard, ^^ Men and I 

brethren what shall we do ?'^ Hear the answer : '' Then 1 

Peter said unto them, repent and be baptized, ever}^ one 
of you." What followed ? '' Then they that gladly re- 
ceived his word, were baptized ; and the same day there 
were added unto them about three thousand souls." 

Were any added without baptism ? The preacher had 
said, ''Repent and be baptized, every one of you ;^^ and 
it is recorded, '' They that gladl}^ received his word were 
baptized." The number of these baptized persons, it 
was, that had swollen to three thousand. All were added 
to the church, but not one without baptism. 

And next what ? '' And they continued steadfastly in 
the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of 
bread, and in prayers." In living deeds, could there be 
a more perfect transcript of the letter of the commis- 
sion ? The apostle preached the good news to as many 
as he could reach ; he baptized as many as were disci- 
pled ; these, and no others, he took to the table. This 
was the first official act under the commission; its key- 
note was struck ; the record is full, and was for all time. 
With . noon-day clearness, each of its specifications, 
and each in their divinely appointed order, stands out. 

If this coincidence was without design, some other 
order of procedure will be likely to spring upon us, in 
following the narrative. 

To show the steady triumphs of grace, but without 
any attempt at detail, the closing verse in the chapter 
reads, ''And the Lord added to the church dailj^, such 
as should be saved." 

The next record of enlargement by conversion, is in 
Acts iv. 4. " Howbeit many of them which heard the 
word believed ; and the number of the men was abor.t 
five thousand." Not only baptism is not named but no 



Qualifications for the Communion. 233 

conviction, no question, no answer, no avowal of disci- 
plesliip, no aclclition to the church, no fellowship with 
the apostles, no pra3^er, no supper. For instruction, it 
was not needed. All that was covered before, and there 
was no call for repetition, unless something different was 
introduced. And now, other facts crowd in for notice. 

In the act of preaching, the apostles were assaulted, 
and laid under arrest by the ]3ublic authorities. While 
they are thus dragged off to prison, the Holy Spirit is 
pleased to note, for future instruction and encourage- 
ment, what the Lord was doing in the hearts of the 
hearers. Instead of a detailed account as before, this is 
written : '' And the multitude of them that believed, were 
of one heart and of one soul." There were no differences 
in their belief or practice. But there would have been 
differences if one was baptized and another was not. 
Such difference was then unknown. 

Beside this, there are eighteen other .passages where 
no particulars about the repentance, or the faith, or the 
preaching, connected with the persons spoken of, are 
given, except to point them out as the trophies of grace. 
They are as follows : v. 14 ; vi. T ; ix. 31, 35, 42 ; xi. 21, 
24; xii. 24; xiii. 12, 43, 48; xiv. 1; xvi. 5; xvii. 4, 12, 
34; xix. lY-20 ; xxviii. 24. 

If from that silence about baptism, one were tempted 
to infer that it was not in those instances administered, 
he would need to be reminded, that by the same species 
of reasoning, another might infer that multitudes of be- 
lievers never made a public profession of religion, were 
added to no church, lived without prayer, had no fellow- 
ship with the apostles, and never participated in the 
supper. In speaking of the accession of believers, the 
supper is not so much as once named, after the day of 
Pentecost. Silence may not be interpreted to mean 
something different from what is declared. 
20* 



234 Qualifications for the Communion. 

Turn again to the history of additions, while I group 
the remaining instances where baptism is particularized. 

Read viii. 5-16. This relates to the preaching of 
Philip, in the city of Samaria. Here is the first instance, 
under the commission, of preaching the gospel outside 
of what was strictly the Jewish nation. Here, particu- 
larity was again called for, to show that no change of 
circumstance could change the course of these divinely 
instructed men. On the point in dispute, it is full and 
explicit. Kead verses 12-16. 

In the 26-39 verses of the same chapter, a peculiar case 
presents itself, and still more emphatically the order of 
the commission is enforced. See especially verses 36-39. 

In the next chapter, a man is brought before us, in 
whose conversion the ordinary preaching of the gospel 
was superseded. None the less rigidly discipleship was 
insisted upon, and baptism upon the evidence of it. This 
man, though called in at that late day, ''born out of due 
season," this man was to become the chief of the apos- 
tles. Tv/ice we are informed of his baptism. Compare 
ix. 18, with xxii. 12-16. As soon as Ananias is in- 
formed of the conversion of Saul, he approaches him 
with his charge, " And now why tarriest thou ? arise, 
and be baptized. '^ How impressively^ the procedure 
and the form of address in this instance, shows that 
baptism was uniformly required of every one making 
claim to discipleship. Could there be a reason for ap- 
proaching Saul thus, that would not equally apply in 
every other instance of conversion ? Why hold Saul to 
this rite, and leave it optional with another ? Read that 
record, and if you can, believe Paul capable of pursuing 
a different course toward any discipled by his ministry. 

In the next chapter, the first convert from among the 
Gentiles, under apostolic preaching, is brought in, and 
again is rehearsed the fact and the order of baptism ; x. 
4.1, 49. 



Qualifications for the Communion. 235 

Under Paul's labors, occurs the record of four in- 
stances of discipleship and baptism, with the same unde- 
viating exactness in the order; xvi. 14, 15, 30-33; xviii. 
8 ; xix. 1-5. 

As if anticipating the time, when, in this matter, men 
would seek to separate what Christ has joined together, 
not a single instance of baptism is named, where the 
context does not show that it took place immediately 
after avowed discipleship. 

The evidence that no unbaptized i^erson partook of 
the supper, during the times of the apostles, is over- 
whelming. 

With such an accumulation of testimony on this single 
point ; every case where particulars are attempted, uni- 
formity absolute ; not the shadow of an intimation that 
there was any other practice ; all of it, in the exact 
order of the commission, and in symbol demanded, can 
there' be room for a rational doubt that baptism is a 
divinely appointed prerequisite to the communion ? ISTot 
for an instant, may it be supposed, that the course of 
the apostles would be different from what it was, should 
they now re-appear. With authority, they would re-as- 
sert and re-establish the ordinances as at the first. 
This record of their acts stands here to-day, in the place 
of living apostles. 

III. The third and remaining scriptural qualification 
for the communion, is a life governed, so far as men 
have the means of judging, by Christ's revealed will. 

We enter now the province of church discipline, pro- 
vided for also in that last charge. 

The churches having given the whole w^eight of their 
mfluence, first to disciple men, and then to baptize the 
men discipled ; and having thus brought them into 
visible, or church relationship, they are now to watch 
over each other, lending the same weight of influence in 



236 Qualifications for the Communion. 

teaching and tutoring them to the faithful, unaltered 
observance and perpetuation of all things commanded 
by Christ. 

In the exercise of this watch-care, a limit is reached 
when the communion must be denied. That limit is de- 
scribed thus: ''jSTow we command you, brethren, in the 
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ^^e withdraw j'Our- 
selves from ever}^ brother that walketh disorderly, and 
not after the tradition which he received of us.'' 

The phrase, " walketh disorderly," is borrowed from 
military life, and means out of line, or a failure to keep the 
ranks. In a disciple, it means conduct or a course of 
life before men, not accordant with what Christ has 
taught. The rule, generally stated, is withdrawal from 
any one who persists in smy course of conduct seen to 
be inaccordant with the will of Christ. The fact, that 
you may still believe him to be a brother, may not shield 
him; ''from every brother.^^ Christian affection is not 
.allowed to enter a plea for him; ''we command you, in 
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.''^ The leaven of 
insubordination will leaven the whole lump ; cast it 
out. From that root of bitterness, many will be defiled ; 
pluck it up. That departure allowed, will increase unto 
more ungodliness ; withdraw from him, though a brother 
beloved, but count him not an enemy. 

And this withdrawing, if it does not deny the brother 
a place at the table, what does it deny ? How withdraw 
from him, and still sit with him at the Lord's table ? 

Of this general rule I will make one application as a 
specimen. It shall be the discipline of a baptized brother, 
in a Pedobaptist church, or sitting at the table in such a 
church. 

Those with whom he thus walks, in visible fellowship, 
do not keep the ranks. " So many of us as were 
baptized into Jesus Christ," were "buried with him by 



Qualifications for the Communion. 237 

baptism." Not buried icith him by baptism were these. 
He is under imperative orders to withdraw from them. 
Refusing to do so, he becomes a partaker with them in 
the disorder. To prevent the contagion from spreading, 
nay, to avoid complicit}^ in it, we must withdraw from 
him. He gives countenance and the weight of his ex- 
ample to human tradition, a doctrine of men, a cere- 
mony not from heaven, an observance which holds 
competition with Christ's own appointed ordinance of 
baptism, and which, so far as it prevails, crowds out 
Christ's appointment. Say not that he keeps the ordi- 
nance of baptism. He parts with it, in the act of sitting 
down to the communion with the unbaptized. He re- 
cedes from the position which he took in his baptism. 
The light set up in his own example, he quenches. He 
walks not b}^ the light which God gave him, but by his 
brother's darkness. Say not that it is his purpose to 
observe that ordinance. 

The word rendered ''observe," means not only per- 
sonal submission to it, but to guard, and keep from viola- 
tion, and to pass on unchanged, that ordinance, or what- 
ever else Christ has enjoined. That same Greek word 
occurs in the sentence, ''And sitting down they watched 
him there." The centurion, with a company of soldiers, 
was stationed there to guard the crucified, against any 
attempt to vv^rest him from the authorities. Paul uses 
the same word when he says, " I have kept the faith." 

The churches, in training the membership to keep all 
things commanded by Christ, must withdraw from every 
such brother. He who gave the order knew that in 
no less summary way, could demoralization be arrested. 
The church that refuses, becomes itself a party to dis- 
order and disorganization, that has no limit but the 
complete subversion of the faith. 

A marked example, on a large scale, is now before us. 



238. Qualifications for the Communion. 

The strict Baptist churches of England freel}^ admit to 
the communion baptized believers in the open churches. 
They do this under the plea that these have submitted 
themselves to the rite. After that, need wo be told, that 
year after j^ear, some of the churches that were strict, 
become Open-communion, and that, in many instances, 
the settlement of an Open-communion pastor is all that 
is needed to make the change ? Of course, it must be 
thus. In the practice they allow, they virtually yield 
all. They have surrendered Maryland Heights ''to 
hold Harper's Ferry at all hazards !" In admitting 
Open-communion Baptists to the table, they do one of 
two things — they convict themselves of wrong in not 
themselves opening the table to the unbaptized ; or, by 
giving fellowship to those who are doing that thing, they 
make themselves a party to the wrong. When Baptists 
and Pedobaptists unite, as in the Open-communion 
churches, the body that is formed thus, of course is not 
Baptist ; it is simply Pedobaptism unchanged. If it 
were a bar of gold, with one end dipped, and the other 
sprinkled, no difference could be made by refusing the 
sprinkled end and taking the other. When Pedobap- 
tism can extend a baptized or a sprinkled hand, it is 
vain to refuse the one while we take the other. It is 
not left discretionary^ with our strict brethren what to 
do ; they are under orders from the Lord Jesus Christ 
to withdraw from every Open-communion brother. Obe- 
dience to that order is all that can save, from entire sub- 
version. Baptist principles in England. 

See how the great commission, by itself, covers the 
whole ground. That combination of words is not less 
marvelous and instinct with divinity, in its order and 
completeness, than in its thoughts. See how grand its 
conception, and how majestically it moves forward to 
realize it. It contemplates first the salvation of the 



Qualifications for the Communion. 239 

soul. But its design has not been reached, in an}^ in- 
etance, where it has secured only the salvation of the 
soul. J^ext, it demands the baptism of the saved. Nor 
is its design then reached. It holds the baptized to the 
stated and frequent observance of the supper, and but 
little is yet secured. 

As compared with its whole design, all that is quite 
incidental. What it contemplates, is not reached when 
any number of men, living at the same time, are made 
true disciples, are baptized, and meet monthly or weekly 
to observe the supper. All that might soon leave 
Christ without a vfitness on earth, and unnumbered gen- 
erations to live and die in heathenism. Unless these 
shall go further, and besides personally accepting Christ 
as a Saviour, and submitting to baptism and the supper, 
unless they shall as faithfully carry out the third speci- 
fication entire, all efforts to extend the gospel will pre- 
sently die out ; baptism cease to be administered for 
lack of converts ; tutoring and training become a 
thing unknown ; and everj^ trace of that first generation 
disappear, as writing 'upon the sand, over which the sea 
wave breaks. The commission is framed to secure to 
each successive generation of men, every advantage of the 
first, augmented by the living testimony of every con- 
vert that is made. It makes it the duty of every gen- 
eration of Christians to teach and school both to the 
personal observance of all things, and to the subsequent 
training of others to perpetuate unaltered all things 
luhatsoever Christ has commanded, so as to keep bring- 
ing forward upon the stage, in swelling numbers, men 
and women, apostolic in faith and practice, and Christ- 
like in fidelity to God, and self-sacrifice for men. To 
neglect the third particular in this charge, is to make 
the two preceding impossible in the next generation. 

The generation of Christians that is on the stage, 



240 Qualifications for the Communion. 

• 
themselves baptized, send out that generation inspired 

and impelled by the Holy Spirit and his word, both 
to hold inviolate, in their own practice, all things what- 
soever Christ has commanded, and also to make and 
baptize disciples everywhere, and everywhere to teach 
and school all the disciples, made and baptized, to do 
the same, to hold/as^ the faithful word, to be as incapa- 
ble of deviation as of open apostasy ; then for ever}^' 
generation following we have what is better than apos- 
tolic succession ; we have Christian men and women, 
and Christian churches, apostolic in spirit, in faith, in 
practice, in infallibility, and more than apostolic in 
power, by as much as their number and gifts keep swell- 
ing, and their opportunities multiplying. 

To reach that result every word in the commission is 
divinely chosen and set. Each thought prepares the 
way for the following. One requisition follows another, 
in a given order, and all stand compact and invincible. 
■Change a word, or its place, and it is like an army 
demoralized. 

Conclusion. Faith in Christ, baptism for a badge of 
discipleship, and a life accredited for loyalty to the King- 
in Zion, are the scriptural qualifications for the com- 
munion. Each in its place is equally indispensable to 
God's design. 

Probably few will demur, except in the matter of 
baptism. On that point, equally with the others, pause 
a thousand times before you vary a shadow from either 
the act described by baptism, or the place assigned for 
it. Learn at length that you are not to plan the cam- 
paign, but to study and execute orders. '' It is as high 
as heaven ; what canst thou do ? deeper than hell ; what 
canst thou know ? The measure thereof is longer than 
the earth, and broader than the sea.'' On that point 
it was, that vacations, too apparently trivial to be 



Qualifications for the Communion. 241 

noticed by Martin Luther, required but three centuries to 
subvert the Reformation. In the little tiny seed for the 
garden, God has provided for the stalk, the stem, the 
leaves, and the flower, as also for all the different colors, 
each stroke, and line, and spot, and the place for each. 
If, now, by some chemical analysis, we could separate, 
without injur}', all the minute particles of a flower seed, 
and should then attempt a combination of them different 
from the original, we should not know what bright 
colors we might be striking out from the matured 
flower which God contemplated ; nay, we should not 
know whether we might not be striking the flower itself 
from the stem, or preparing for some monster deformity. 
So, in his word, God has provided for the grandest pos- 
sible development of thought and character, and all that 
he covets in connection with human redemption ; but to 
secure all of that, to secure it at all, his word must be 
received without addition, diminution, modification or 
change. In changing, or suppressing, or withholding 
any part of it, we know not w^hat we do. We know not 
what part of perfected redemption is supplied by this 
line or that ; we know not what mighty interests are 
linked with this ordinance or the other ; and we know 
not what systems of religious oppression and wrong 
may not, in embryo, lie in any change that may be 
eff*ected by a human touch. ^'Be still, and knovf that I 
am God.'' 

If one who knows nothing whatever of the human sys- 
tem should attempt to use the scalpel about the region 
of the heart, he would be likely to strike some vital part 
causing instantaneous death. What interests then must 
be periled by any human attempts to change what God 
has chosen, or separate what he has joined together, in this 
volume, every line of which underlies the sweet mystery 
of redeeming love, and infinitely transcends the reach 
21 



242 Qualifications for the Communion. 

of all but the Author of this book. If there is any part 
of it that, by deliberate agreement, might be set aside 
or changed with impunity, it would i^e quire a revela- 
tion from the Author to know what part that is ; and, 
therefore, the fearful sentence that hangs over him who, 
presuming to usurp the prerogatives of God, shall 
dare to make a solitary change in the book itself: '' If 
any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto 
him the plagues that are written in this book ; and if 
any man shall take away from the words of the book of 
this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the 
book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the 
things which are written in this book." Next to the 
sin of changing the Bible, is the sin of falsifying its 
teachings ; and, therefore, Christ says, " Whosoever shall 
break one of these least commandments, and shall teach 
men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of 
heaven." 

. I hope I have not spoken the truth otherwise than 
in love. Any other spirit would be foreign to every 
thought of the Communion. ^' By this w^e know that we 
love the children of God, when we love God and keep 
his commandments." 



XI. 

THE RELATION BETWEEN BAPTISM AND THE 
COMMUNION. 



By THOMAS D. ANDEESON, D.D., 

Pastor of First Baptist Churcli, New York. 



"Then they that gladly received his word -were baptized; and the same day 
there were added unto them about three thousand souls. and they continued 

STEADFASTLY IN THE APOSTLES' DOCTRINE AND FELLOWSHIP, AND IN BREAKING OP 
BREAD AND IN PRAYERS." — Acts U. 41, 42. 

Religious error exhausts not its power for evil in sub- 
stituting falsehood for truth. Its mischievous influence 
is not limited by the extent of its direct sway or the 
number of its perverts. It compels the adherents of the 
right to conquer by argument their positions. It drives 
the valiant supporters of the inspired record into a con- 
troversial maintenance of their views. It renders neces- 
sary the faithful to withstand in the evil day. The 
attitude it enforces is one of combat. The clash of arms 
resounds, not only along the extended line of outposts 
where the conflict is waged with the enemy, but the 
sword must be drawn within the very camp of our 
friends. Error demands a base surrender of allegiance 
to truth. A manly spirit has no alternative ; he must 
enter the contest, bearing his most precious convictions 
with him to be triumphantly vindicated, not for himself 
alone, but for them also whom he has vanquished. 
Yaluable as may be the result, necessary as may have 
been the conflict, still w^e • must hold at best this conten- 
tion among brethren as far from unmixed good. While 

f243) 



'244 Baptism and the Communion. 

we rejoice in the rescue of eveiy Bible principle from 
the thraldom of doubt, and of each scriptural ordinance 
from the corruption of tradition, still we can but regret 
that many of the sweetest themes of Christian contem- 
plation and pui^est acts of Christian devotion must be 
deferred imtil human formularies have been examined, 
opinions received, opposing arguments weighed and the 
perplexed reason has feebly assented to what the heart, 
Spirit-taught, was impatient to confess. 

It is well that the doctrines of the incarnation and 
the atonement have been defended ; and that, freed from 
the perversions of philosophy, falsely so called, they 
are settled firmly on their inspired foundation. Yet 
who does not regret withdrawing the rapt attention of 
the soul from their absorbing contemplation to search 
for arguments, to parry the thrusts of error, or to hamper 
the emotion with nicely balanced logical expressions, 
lest the truth should suffer from some offending word ? 
At the entrance of a new life, the soul, glowing with its 
first love and hasting to confess Christ before men, re- 
gards as an impertinence, the controversy which human 
differences have raised over the simjDle command to be 
baptized. Nor does it conduce to the serene joy o/ a 
participation in the memorial supper to be agitated by 
the conflicting claims of qualifications for a seat at the 
table of the Lord. But whatever of evil arises from 
the discussion of themes like these cannot be charged on 
the defenders of the truth. Cost what it may, God has 
enjoined the duty to " contend for the faith which was 
once delivered unto the saints.'^ We contend, not be- 
cause contention is enjoyed, but that we may maintain, 
in their divine simplicity and fullness, the doctrines 
and ordinances of Christ. The wisdom that is peaceable 
must be first pure. 

The relation between Baptism and Communion, we 



Baptism and the Communion. 245 

are happy to know, has been admitted theoretically, in 
all ages and by all denominations of Christians. The 
ground-principles are not in controversy. With a sin- 
gular unanimity, Christendom has held and taught the 
dependence of the one ordinance on the other ; Baptism 
conferring the right to the Communion; Communion 
scripturally possible only to the baptized. So uniform 
has been the testimony of the various confessions of 
faith submitted by the different Christian Churches, that 
were this testimony logically maintained, and faithfully 
reduced to practice. Baptists and all other denomina- 
tions would stand on the same platform in respect to 
the relation of the ordinances, and our discussion have 
been unnecessary. Although our opponents have sought 
strenuously to force us into a hostile attitude to the 
convictions we hold in common with nearly all other 
professing Christians, we generally have remained faith- 
ful. We have not become Schismatics as to this one 
common bond of opinion. The strange spectacle 
therefore, has been presented, of effort put forth, (not 
alwa^'S in the friendliest spirit,) in the name of Union 
to make us as a denomination to divide from the body 
of Christ on the almost only point where there is con- 
current belief; while on the other hand, apparently in 
Disunion, this body of the faithful is made to stand 
contendins: for its common inheritance in the almost 
only uncontroverted position of Christendom. We can- 
not desert this ground, and however our testimony may 
not be desired by our Pedobaptist brethren on this 
point, because of its effect on their unscriptural obser- 
vance of the ordinances, we nevertheless must carry out 
practically the universally admitted view, and limit the 
communion to the baptized. 

^'Having," dear brethren '^ a good conscience; that, 
whereas they speak evil of you, as of evil-doers, they 
21* 



246 Baptism and the Communion. 

may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conver- 
sation in Christ/^ we commend to your consideration 
the views you have so persistently held as supported 
by the word of God. 

I. In the first place, let us view the relation between 
Baptism and Communion as organic. 

By this, we mean that the relation is neither inciden- 
tal nor fanciful. The ordinances are not grouped to- 
gether by some arbitrary generalization of the mind, 
nor are they united by some chance tie, which, if severed, 
would still leave them unaffected in their normal condi- 
tion. We hold that they are related as constituent 
parts of a perfect whole. Inasmuch as we believe 
Christianity to be no amendatory scheme to supplement 
deficiencies in the original plan, or a reparation of losses 
unfortunately sustained, but the primal thought and 
aim of God, toward which creation tended, so we believe 
the outward embodiment of that thought of God to be 
a unity. As the historic event of providence is the 
carefully prepared vestment of Jehovah's purpose, as 
Jesus is the express image of his person, so the Church 
in its instituted order is not a contingent development 
of Christianity, fashioned according to the demands of 
difierent countries and diverse ages, but a divine organ- 
ism, ordained by God and made ready for the Spirit of - 
the new creation as was the moulded dust of Adam for 
the soul of the old. 

According to Ephesians iii. 10, it is Jehovah's intent 
'Hhat now unto the principalities and powers in hea- 
venly places might be known by the Church, the mani- 
fold wisdom of God." It cannot be supposed that the 
expression of God's manifold wisdom should be an in- 
definite and unordained combination of non-essential 
arid irrelevant particulars. But admit the other alter- 
native, that the Church, as a visible embodiment of 



Baptism and the Communion. 247 

the spiritual verities of redemption, was planned and 
matured by '^ Him who worketh all things after the 
counsel of his own will," then must we also admit the 
organic relation between the several parts of the one 
perfect whole. If in our spiritual oneness with Christ 
we dare not mutilate the provisions of grace, by as- 
serting our union with him, although we have never 
been born again ; or, professing our regeneration, then 
turn the grace of God into lasciviousness by a life 
conformed unto the world ; so, in our outward visible 
fellowship with the Saviour, should we refuse to im- 
pair its design by sundering the appointed relation 
between the ordinances ; by which a carefully adjusted 
organism is changed into a mere mixture of conventional 
ceremonies. 

In the inspired plan of a Christian church, there are 
the prescribed qualification of membership, the initial 
rite, the doctrines to be believed, the duties to be prac- 
ticed, the law for its preservation and extension, the 
designation of its officers, and the memorial ordinance, 
which, by its significance, sets forth the distinctive 
peculiarity of the body over every other association. It 
is impossible to conceive of an organization more per- 
fect. Nothing is wanting. There is nothing superflu- 
ous. A careful study of the Acts, which contains the 
record of the founding of the church, under the imme- 
diate and miraculous influence of the Holy Spirit, will 
convince the unprejudiced that, before the death of the 
apostles, who were promised to be guided into all truth 
by the Comforter, the church completely organized 
stood forth before the world. Human interference can 
only mar its symmetry and change its simple expression 
of truths into a channel for the transmission of errors 
respecting the work of Christ. 

Omit the initial ordinance of Baptism, and there 



248 Baptism and the Communion. 

exists no body that has a right to the ordinance of the 
Communion, for then is there none ^'baptized into Jesus 
Christ." This phrase is used, Komans vi. 3, as the ex- 
pression of a union to Christ, through death unto sin 
and a resurrection to newness of life. Hence, to such 
only who through the symbol of Baptism profess their 
oneness of life with the Lord, is the correlated sjaiibol 
of the Communion — expressive of supporting that life on 
his broken body and shed blood — scripturally possible. 
Again, administer Baptism as enjoined in the New 
Testament, and the person thus formally made one with 
Christ not only may sustain formally his new life on 
the emblems of the Lord's body and blood, but, if he 
refuse he denies the Lord that bought him. 

If now, Baptism be scripturall}^ administered to the 
unconscious babe, on the confession of another, on the 
same ground must that babe communicate. If it be sin 
not to compel the infant into a testimony of its being 
born again, it is equallj^ sin not to force it into an out- 
ward exhibition of maintaining its baptized life on the 
flesh and blood of the Son of God. Should it be ob- 
jected that the very nature of commemoration is such as 
to render it necessary that the subject should of his own 
volition approach the table, we admit the sta'tement ; 
but as w^e have Baptism and the Communion as parts 
■ of a complete external embodiment of our relations to 
Christ, the denial to the candidate of the one until he 
voluntarily presents himself, demands the withholding 
of the other until a like conscious application is made 
for it. The connection between the ordinances, as parts 
of a perfectly organized outward profession, is an essen- 
tial connection. Administering the one while we de- 
prive of the other, is rending the seamless robe of Jesus ; 
and, while we supply the lost part with a fabric of 
human device, we dishonor the perfect righteousness 



I 



Baptism and the Communion. 249 

of the Crucified by the indignity offered to his ves- 
ture. 

II. In the second place, let us view the relation be- 
tween Baptism and Communion as symbolic. 

As these ordinances are used by Inspiration as sym- 
bols, the relation between them must be in accordance 
with such usage. Since they are found united in the em- 
bodiment of the gospel as set forth in a church, we 
must so interpret their relation as not to make it false 
to the great truths signified. I do not intend to trace 
the symbolism of the ordinances. That has been en- 
trusted, in this course of sermons, to another. I refer 
to it only to bring out sequence, or order of succession, 
as a characteristic of the relationship between the two 
great Christian rites. 

Before phonetic characters were used in writing, 
images of objects, with signs representing different con- 
ditions, were employed to record the history of events. 
In this picture-writing, each form became a symbol, and 
it was essential to a correct reading, to note carefully 
two things : — 1. The peculiar form of the image : 2. Its 
relative position to other images. For illustration; if 
the victor}^ of the Egyptians in battle over the Jews, 
were represented hierogiyphically, you would discover 
figures signifying m.en, then certain modifications dis- 
tinguishing them as Egyptians and Jews, also signs in- 
dicating that they were engaged in battle. If this were all, 
the representation would leave you in doubt which were 
the conquerors, or indeed whether there was a victory. 
On closer inspection, however, 3^ou find that the forms 
representing Jews, are either prostrate, or fleeing before 
the victorious ranks of the Egyptians. We can hesitate 
no longer — the cartoon asserts the victory of the Egyp- 
tians over the Jews. The correct reading demands not 
simply the study of the symbols, but absolutely requires 



250 Baptism and the Communion. 

the exact interpretation of their relative position. In 
the instance above, by simply altering the relation of 
the sj^mbols, yon reverse the record, and read the vic- 
tory of the Jews over the Egyptians. 

This necessary relation of the objects holds trne, not 
merely in pictnre-writing, but wherever truth is taught 
by symbols. It could not be indifferent whether the 
mercy-seat was above or below the shekinah, whether 
the altar of sacrifice was in front of or within the sanc- 
tuary of the temple, or whether sins were confessed on 
the head of the victim before or after its sacrifice. 
Whenever symbols are incorporated into a unified ser- 
vice, no more important is the emblem than is its relative 
position in the piece of symbolism of which it makes a 
part. 

In the order of the visible church, to observe the rites 
of Baptism and Communion, irrespective of their serial 
relation, would lead not only to defective, but to erroneous 
impressions. Not less important is it that they are ob- 
served in their given order of succession, than that they 
are observed at all. Baptism first, and Communion 
afterward. By the former symbol we have typified re- 
generation, the new birth. The candidate, in the name 
of Jesus, buried within the water as in a grave, submits to 
the justice of the retribution of death for sin ; but hiding 
himself in the mighty Christ, who has power to suffer 
the penalty, yet survive the infliction, he becomes, through 
the Spirit, a '' partaker of the divine nature,'^ and thus rises 
with his Lord from the liquid tomb to newness of life. 
Then, and not till then, follows appropriately the other 
symbol. In the Lord's Supper are spread before the re- 
generated man the means of sustenance for his spiritual 
life. As the communicant partakes of the bread and 
wine, significant of the Lord's broken bodj^ and shed 
blood, he gives evidence of an appetite that is not satis- 



Baptism and the Communion. 251 

fied with meaner food, of a strength that is derived only 
from a divine source, and of a life that must be ever 
nourished on the flesh and blood of the Son of God. 
We have now the new life and its divine subsistence. 
The symbolic relation demands that the initial rite of 
Baptism be followed by the observance of the Supper ; 
else we have a life created and left to perish without its 
proper aliments. It equally insists on the Communion 
being always preceded by Baptism, or divine food is pre- 
sented to sustain an unchanged carnal nature. Either 
of which must bring the ordinances of Christ's appoint- 
ment into contempt, and change what he designed to be 
the symbols of redemption into mere ritual ceremonies, 
imposed and interpreted by man. Let us not, brethren, 
elect of God, in setting up our banners, plant our ensign 
with its symbols reversed, significant only of mutiny 
and desertion, but throughout all our ranks let us unfurl 
our standards with their heavenly device in order, telling 
our confidence of victory in our allegiance to the Cap- 
tain of our salvation. 

III. In th<^ third j^lace, let us now turn to the doctrinal 
view of the relation between the two New Testament 
ordinances. 

When we consider the authority that sustains this 
view, and its far-reaching import, perhaps there is no 
aspect in which our subject assumes a greater conse- 
quence. From the fact that Jesus instituted these rites, 
and commanded their observance by all his disciples, it 
follows that the}' are invested with a doctrinal as well 
as practical bearing. Indeed, in a strict anal^^sis, it is 
impossible to separate doctrine and practice in the in- 
structions of the gospel. Under every performance of 
the new creature, there must be the intelligent compre- 
hension and design w^hich constitutes its doctrine, or 
the service is unmeaning mummery. On the other 



2^2 Baptism and the Communion. 

hand, whatever is professed as doctrine must be incor- 
porated into the life, or the profession is as hollow as 
''sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal." Therefore, to 
celebrate these ordinances is to declare the doctrine of 
obedience to the simple, positive command of Christ. 
They lie side by side, the doctrine being strengthened 
by its repetition in the two rites, and obedience tested 
by a double requisition. There cannot possibly be an 
argument against observing the one, that exists not with 
equal force for the omission of the other. The doctrine 
requires an unquestioning submission to the laws of 
Christ, solely because he has commanded them. It is 
nullified as much by making a selection between two 
acts, which he has enjoined by the same authority, and 
declining to submit to one, as though the refusal ex- 
tended to both. Indeed, it is more dangerous to the 
doctrine of obedience, (not to pronounce the spirit more 
culpable,) to admit the authority of positive institutions, 
while a part is subjected to the judgment or caprice of 
the worshipper, than to reject the whole as unnecessary. 
Can a regard for sound doctrine suffer thefseverance of 
two positive ordinances, parts of an integral profession 
of gospel truth, and allow a person, while neglecting 
one, to extenuate his violation of authority by an imper- 
fect compliance with the other ? Must not such a course 
necessarily demoralize the spirit ? Indeed, while one 
command is apparently honored, would not its disjointed 
observance but ill conceal the fatal attack made on the 
principle of Christian obedience ? 

Again, wrapped up in these ordinances lies the doc- 
trine of the discipW S' confession of Christ. Is it, or is 
it not, a principle of the gospel, that what is wrought in- 
wardly by the Spirit, shall be by the person outwardly 
expressed ? If it be, is that law fully met by an oral 
declaration? Not until human language can adequately 



Baptism and the Communion. 2^j 

utter the divine significance of tlie plan of salvation. 
'Nor is it enough that the life should bring forth the 
fruits of holiness. These but express, when most abun- 
dant, the effects of the gracious change. Both are but 
imperfect manifestations of the actual condition of the 
renewed soul. Christ, therefore, has supplemented the 
words of the lips, and the conduct of life, with a perfect 
confession, that fully represents the unseen spiritual 
state. That confession is found in the two positive or- 
dinances he has enjoined on his disciples. These, com- 
mitted to the voluntary observance of every Christian, 
become, when thus complied with, his own perfect con- 
fession before the world of a state of heart that other- 
wise would have no adequate exponent. In this view, 
how intimate is the relation of these rites. As the ex- 
ternal rendering of the sublime verities of faith, Baptism 
and Communion gather around them all the sanction of 
divinel^^-drawn articles of confession, united in an in- 
violable relation, that forever excludes the right to alter, 
transpose, or omit. To accept this confession is our 
privilege ; to decline it may be our choice ; but to mod- 
ify it, is not merely refusing, it is offering insult to our 
Lord. For, in claiming the right to amend, we assert 
the superiority of human wisdom over divine in mould- 
ing the form that images the glories of the new creation. 
IN'or can this confession be made, except by the ordi- 
nances in their instituted relation ; where the one unre- 
peated act of regeneration is illustrated by the one 
unrepeated Baptism; while the oft-recurring Commu- 
nion beautifully confesses the souPs continual living on 
the Crucified. The Christian has no scriptural right to 
represent only his individual interest in Christ by the 
use of one of the signs belonging to the visible kingdom 
of God. Having declared himself by Baptism to be 
dead to sin, and risen to newness of life, he should seek 
22 



254 Baptism and the Communion. 

an outward fellowship with the baptized ; and in waiting 
attitude around the table, where the hallowed emblems are 
a perpetual prophecy of Jesus' second coming, exultingly 
should he confess that 'Hhe greatness of the kingdom 
under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of 
the saints of the Most High.'' 

Once more, there is a most intimate doctrinal relation 
between Baptism and the Communion as they are em- 
ployed to illustrate the vicarious loorh of Christ. Of 
the many passages in God's word sustaining this view, 
I shall allude only to two — one in Romans vi. 3 : ''Know 
ye not, that as many of us as were baptized into Jesus 
Christ, were baptized into his death ?" Another in John 
vi. 56, 5T : ''He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my 
blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living 
Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father ; so he 
that eateth me, even he shall live by me." These pas- 
sages have one marked feature in common — whatever 
advantage is figuratively represented in them, it is en- 
tirel}^ founded on another's work. A^^e are not baptized 
merely into death, but into GhrisVs death ; and our life 
is not our own, but by Christ we live. We do not im- 
prove our nature, but w^e lose it ; in the expiatory death 
of Christ, it is condemned, and dies in the penalty 
visited on our substitute. We share, in rising with 
Christ, a new nature ; and as it had its source in him, 
so is it fed on him. Thus, both the perfect righteous- 
ness whereon the believer stands accepted before God, 
and his own personal holiness, we are taught in these pas- 
sages, alike come from Jesus. The relation, then, of 
these ordinances in this aspect, is that which exists be- 
tween the two grand gospel doctrines of Justification 
and Sanctification. How fearful should w^e be of dis- 
turbing the inspired harmony between the divinely 
appointed illustrations of such fundamental truths in 



Baptism and the Communion. 255 

the system of redemption. It was probably by just 
such interference, more than by any other one cause, 
that the glorious doctrine of justification by faith was 
vailed for so many ages, and consequently a holy life 
was driven from the nominal church. 

Deny to either one of the ordinances a conscious ap- 
propriation by the candidate of the vicarious merit of 
Christ, and j^ou necessarily invalidate the significance 
of the other. Join to the work of the Saviour the belief 
of a parent or sponsor as the ground for baptism, and a 
traditional faith will come to celebrate the virtue of in- 
herited piety around the table where only Jesus should 
be remembered ; while by degrees the visible church 
will be composed of those born of blood, of the will of 
the flesh, of the will of man, but not of God. Or, incon- 
sistently refuse to the baptized a seat at the supper until 
some qualification is gained that is not expressed by the 
initial rite ; and baptism, which, coupled with belief, the 
Holy Spirit has made in the commission the published 
condition of salvation, is degraded into an unmeaning 
ceremony, while the might}^ truth of justifying right- 
eousness has, in the perfect sj^stem of divine hierogly- 
phics, no corresponding emblem. If in words we would 
not dare sunder the connection of the doctrines of grace 
as they lie revealed on the inspired page, let us beware 
how we act the violence we would shrink from speak- 
ing, by a perversion of the equally inspired Font and 
Table. 

Another doctrine. The spirituality of the gospel, is 
illustrated by an allusion to the ordinances in the tenth 
chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians. This 
reference is peculiar in many respects. We will quote 
the first four verses : '' Moreover, brethren, I would not 
that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were 
under the cloud, and all passed through the sea ; and 



256 Baptism and the Communion. 

were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the 
sea ; and did all eat the same spiritual meat ; and did 
all drink the same spiritual drink ; for ihej drank of 
that spiritual Rock that followed them ; and that Rock 
was Christ.'' This should satisfy any person who rcA^eren- 
ces the Bible, that the ordinances of the New Testament 
were shadowed forth ages before, when the Jewish nation 
was chosen as a type of the spiritual Israel. But the 
]3oint to w^hich I especially call your attention in the 
aboA^e Scripture is ver}^ striking ; namely : That to the 
rebellious Hebrew there w^as no inherent efficacy in his 
typical baptism and tjq^ical communion. He, indeed, 
ii^common with others, w^as baptized unto Moses in the 
cloud and sea. He, with others, partook of the spiritual, 
that is, suj)ernatural meat and drink ; but, neveiM:heless, 
he entered not into the promised land — '' For with many, 
God was not well pleased ; for they were overthrown in 
the wilderness." It is said immediately after, ''Now 
these are our examples," or figures. The Apostle pressed 
spiritual holiness on those who might otherwise suppose 
that there w^as a ritual efficacy, an opus operatum, in the 
ordinances themselves. When so peculiarly coupled to- 
gether by the Holy Spirit to show their utter futility, 
without inward spiritual grace, I ask by what authority 
have Baptism and Communion been violently rent asun- 
der ? Why is the one rendered of ritualistic efficacy, so 
that the babe is hurried to the font lest he should die 
in his sins being unbaptized ; and then, being fitted for 
heaven, is denied the other, because without some fur- 
ther change he is unprepared for the imperfect earthly 
Communion of the pious with their Lord ? Strange con- 
fusion, to avoid some of the legitimate consequences of 
a perversion of Christ's symbols ! More consistent have 
been the vast majority of Christendom, including all 
national churches, who, knowing, that the two gospel 



Baptism and tne Communion. 257 

rites must have the same effective value, have ritualized 
both and alwa^'s have given the Communion to the bap- 
tized, and simply because baptized. This consistency in 
error, however, has turned the symbols of Christianity 
into an effete Judaism, not even holding forth emblem 
types of future realities ; but cowering among the empty 
shadows of the past. Hence there is one aspect in 
which the gross inconsistency of ritualizing Baptism, 
while the Communion is held in all its spirituality, be- 
comes hopeful, namely ; that of transition, when to eyes 
gradually opening to the light, the orderly relation of 
objects is unperceived. 

Finally, The doctrine of the oneness of ChrisVs disci- 
ples, as illustrated by Baptism and the Lord's Supper, 
bears most significantlj^ on the relation existing between 
the two. While very far from admitting the design of 
the Lord's Supper to be directly to exhibit Christian 
fellowship, we do believe that it is impossible rightly to 
celebrate the Communion without setting forth indirectly 
the oneness of communicants. As no provision is made 
in the Scripture for the perversion of a truth, we see how 
beautifully, by the ordinances, by one as well as by the 
other, is the doctrine of the oneness of the disciples of 
Jesus expressed, being baptized into one Lord and all 
partaking of one bread. The fellowship of Christians 
is the result, not the aim, of the observance. I am bap- 
tized into Christ, and my brother is baptized into Christ; 
therefore, I and my brother are one. We were not bap- 
tized to show that we are one, but our oneness appears 
from our being baptized. If it be necessary, moreover, 
emblematically to sustain this life in Jesus by eating 
and drinking the emblems of the one body and blood, 
then, not to show our union do we communicate, but 
from the necessary Communion' flows the evidence of 
our fellowship. Keep, then, the symbols as the Saviour 
22* 



258 Baptism and the Communion. 

delivered them to us, and he is responsible for their ex- 
pressing Christian unity. But let the original design be 
corrupted, and, depend on it, the God of truth will exact 
of no honest man the expression of a union that does not 
exist. Least of all, will he require from him, for the sake 
of union, or any thing else, a forced observance of one 
of his ordinances intended to pervert forevermore the 
observance of the other. No ! brethren, no outward 
union over a suppressed command of Christ ! 

This question never would have arisen ; the church 
never w^ould have been divided in its s^anbolic confession, 
if the relation between these ordinances as expressive 
of gospel truth had been preserved inviolate. On those, 
then, who se;yev this connection ; on those who force 
these rites to speak a different language from their in- 
spired utterance ; on those who will not, by one Baptism, 
in one Faith, profess their allegiance to one Lord, 
rests the fearful responsibility of giving to the church 
more than one Communion. Sunder the triune motto 
of the church, ''One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism;'^ 
divide the one personal object of the church's reverence; 
multiply the faiths professed ; enter into fellowships 
through different initial rites ; and in vain is the cry 
raised for oro-anic union. The remedv cannot be found 
in any external badge of fellowship, but exists in restor- 
ing to the disciples of one Lord the one divinel}^ ap- 
pointed mode of entrance into the profession and enjo}^- 
ment of their common faith. We feel ourselves as 
Baptists justified from the blame imputed to us, of 
causing divisions among the followers of him who prayed 
*' That they all may be one.'^ Convict us of altering, 
omitting, or transposing these symbols, thus disturbing 
the relation originally established between them ; and we 
not -only will be recreant to our principles, but by them 
will stand condemned before God and man, if we haste 



Baptism and the CommtTnion. 259 

not from any false position to restore to its primal in- 
tegrity on the authority of Scripture either the form or 
order we have broken. But, if we have kept the ordi- 
nances as they were delivered, those same principles and 
our profession of them hold us bound, even against the 
pain of separation from the loved in Christ of other de- 
nominations, to maintain the relation between Baptism 
and Communion to be so essential, so orderly, so invio- 
lable, that Baptism shall mean a full qualification for the 
enjoyment of the Communion, and that the Communion 
is only possible to the baptized. Still will we continue 
to pray, " 0, Saviour ! in the obedience to thy own com- 
mands, make th}^ disciples one, as thou and the Father 
are one." 

The application of the views just discussed, affords 
suggestions of practical value to the minister. He is the 
scripturally appointed administrator of the ordinances. 
He holds in his hands the divinely fashioned moulds, 
into which, from time to time, he casts the material used 
in the building of the visible temple of God. Let him be 
careful, not only as to the quality of what he builds upon 
the foundation of the apostles and prophets, but also 
that all maybe '' fitly framed together.'' In plain words 
not only should the minister seek the evidence of faith 
in Christ, but he should baptize none but those who ac 
knowledge their obligation to celebrate the Communion, 
which only can be the Communion when, like the former 
ordinance, its form and subjects are according to the 
pattern of the word of God. 

To the candidate for these ordinances, the above views 
teach a lesson not alwa^^s learned. Sometimes, while one 
would not dare himself to approach the Lord's Table 
until he has been baptized on a confession of his faith 
in Christ, he hesitates not to encourage in others a vio- 
lation of this order which, in his own case, he would feel 



26o Baptism and the Communion. 

to be sin. Now, if the Spirit has enlightened him on a 
point of such importance, how can he vail his testimony ? 
Would he inculcate that the Holy Ghost has been at 
pains to teach him a truth of no value ? Or that he has so 
little love for others, that what he has freely received he 
refuses freely to give ? If it be sin for him to communi- 
cate before Baptism, it is sin for him to encourage or 
invite others to commune before they have been baptized. 
If he decided what is Baptism, it must be, in his opinion, 
the same for them and him. If their baptism was not 
baptism for him, it could not be for them. To him they 
are either baptized or unbaptized. If the former, then 
his profession is false. If the latter, then he encourages 
in others what he acknowledges in himself to be sin. 
By the relation existing between the ordinances, it is 
plain that the whole question of free or restricted Com- 
munion is a question pertaining entirely to Baptism. 
Oneness of Communion where there are different Bap- 
tisms is maintained as essential to Christian fellowship, 
only to throw Baptism into disrepute, where scriptural 
positions cannot be invalidated. 

On the church rests the sacred obligation to preserve 
inviolate the relation of the sj^mbols of confession " till 
we all come, in the unity of the faith and the knowl- 
edge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the 
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.'' 



XII. 

CHURCH POLITY. 



By GEOEGE W. SAMSON, D.D., 

President of Columbian College, D. C. 



*'LeT the elders that rule well, be COUXTED TVORTHT of double honor; ESPECIAIiT 
THEY TTHO LABOR IN "WORD AND DOCTRINE." — 1 Timothy V. 17. 

There is, from the very nature of the case, a ^'riile,'^ 
a government, or form of polity, in tlie church of Christ ; 
and three fundamental principles enter into legitimate 
church polit}'. Without any explanation, as if they al- 
read}^ understood its principle, T^ithout any exception, 
as if all churches were conformed to its practice, Paul 
takes for granted that a class having official rank as 
''rulers" are found in every church; that the necessity 
for such an order, even among Christians, is recognized 
in the very nature of man ; that the character of this rule 
is only moral, implied by the very name ''elder," or ex- 
perienced counselor ; and that its vital, practical power 
is doubl}^ honored in those " who labor in word and doc- 
trine." The subject of church polity", then, is revealed 
for Christian inquiry ; and it is as much more important' 
than domestic, or civil polity, as Christ's kingdom is 
more important than the State, and as God's household 
is more dear than the human family. 

This is not an isolated reference by inspired men to 
this department of revealed Christian truth. Christ con- 
stantly alludes to his family, made up of those that do 
the will of his " Father :" to his kingdom, formed of those 

(261) 



l62 Church Polity. 

who " follow him in all things ;'' and to the church, 
which, as his own organized and authorized association, 
acting in his name, has committed to it *Hhe keys of 
heaven and hell." The history of the Acts of the Apos- 
tles and the Epistles of Paul and James, of Peter and 
John, are studded with examples and precepts, illustrat- 
ing the nature and the benefit of the i^lan of church 
polity which Christ has appointed. No commissioned 
herald of him whose requirement is, ^' Teaching them to 
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you," 
no successor of the earlj^ Christian pastors, to whom in- 
spired Paul wrote, " The things that thou hast heard of 
me among many witnesses, the same commit thou unto 
faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also," no 
ordained minister of Jesus Christ, called ^'rightly to 
divide the word of truth," can be excused if he neglect 
to study and to unfold Christ's inspired word as to this 
relation which the members of his church must hold to- 
ward each other. 

From among numerous inspired teachings as to church 
polity, the words above quoted have been selected as 
specially instructive, because in every great crisis of the 
history of Christ's church, this single declaration of Paul 
to Timothy has been found so full of instruction. Thus, 
when evangelical Jerome and others, in the days of Con- 
stantine, were resisting the worldly influence which 
.sought to crowd itself into the Christian church be- 
cause it was now the State religion, again, when, in the 
age of Charlemagne and Alfred, faithful and true mis- 
sionaries were leavening central and northern Europe, 
our ancestral home, with a pure gospel, yet again, when 
the spirit of the Reformation was leading men, in diifer- 
ent countries of Europe, leaving the Koman church, 
necessarily to adopt new forms of organization — at every 
such practical era, no single expression of the inspired 



Church Polity. 262 

apostle has been deemed more full and explicit, and 
none has been so often quoted as comprehensive and 
authoritative. The theme of Paul, with its points of im- 
portant illustration, is church polity ; its necessity, as 
indicated by man's social relations on earth ; its nature, 
as revealed in the inspired words of the New Testament; 
its fruits, as illustrated in the progress of Christ's truth 
and grace among mankind. 

The first of the points for special consideration may be 
thus stated : 

First. The necessity, from the nature of men, in their 
social relations, for a positive and authoritative system 
of polity in the Christian church ; as it is suggested to 
the common judgment of mankind. 

In all our religious reasoning, it should be remem- 
bered, that the common judgment of men is that to which 
revelation itself is addressed. The first announcement 
of the Old Testament : '' In the beginning, God created 
the heavens and the earth," takes for granted that men 
alreadjT- believe in the existence of God ; for, if they did 
not, how could a revelation from him be made to them ? 
"When John began to preach, '' Repent, for the kingdom 
of heaven is -^t hand," his hearers must have already 
known the meaning of the words he employed. The fact 
that Christ ''reasoned," and Paul ''persuaded" men, 
hints that the common judgment of mankind is always 
appealed to by the gospel. In writing now on the sub- 
ject of order in the church as an associated body, it is to 
these convictions of common judgment that Paul si)e- 
cially appeals, when he urges, " Doth not nature teach ?" 
" If any man seem to be contentious, we have no such 
custom, neither the churches of God."* In every land 
and age, there have been suggestions of man's common 
nature which have been the rule of domestic and social 

* 1 Cor. xi. 14, 16. 



264 Church Polity. 

relations ; and the law of civil society has been imme- 
morial customs, like the common law of England, 
adopted from the first in American courts. When Paul 
wrote, the Greek and Roman people had been made famil- 
iar, by their writers on religion, morals, government and 
law, with these words, ''nature,'' and ''custom," which 
the apostle is divinely directed to employ in unfolding 
the principles of order and polity that should govern 
Christian assemblies. 

The well-known models of the family and of civil gov- 
ernment are those by which Paul illustrates that order. 
In alluding to these relations, Paul uses, as appropriate 
in the Christian church, the words of Aristotle, the com- 
monly received Greek authority. In the family, organ- 
ized in part for the protection of the dependent, but 
more for the cultivation of virtue in the superior, ser- 
vants and children, as helpless and inexperienced, are 
to " obey" their superiors ; while the wife, who is the 
head of the family in the husband's almost constant ab- 
sence, is, as second in authority, to show "official defer- 
ence" in. the husband's presence. The forms of civil 
government, as the same writer shows, have been, the 
patriarchal, or an extended family rule ; the mon- 
arc/im/, often usurped and generally hereditary, excellent 
if the monarch be worthy, but liable to unjust despotism ; 
democracy, the rule of the majority, the most oppressive 
of all governments, when, as in Athens, without restric- 
tion of constitution or law, the excited crowd, led by 
unscrupulous partisans, voted that Socrates, untried, 
should drink the hemlock ; and oligarchy, or the rule of 
a few who possess landed jproperty or hereditary rank, 
always, as in Sparta and in feudal Western Europe, de- 
structive of the interest of the mass of the people, and 
of little profit even to the lordly few. To these he adds 
aristocracy, the rule of the best men ; or of those who, in 



Church Polity. 26^ 

the opinion of that portion of the community whose in- 
telligence from education, whose interest as property 
holders, and whose position of influence, as heads of 
families, fit them to judge, are most gifted with the 
w^isdom requisite to the construction of civil government, 
and with, the means necessary for its support. This was 
the form of civil polit}^ studiously attempted, and in a 
measure realized, in the Roman Republic ; and it was 
virtually professed in the Roman Empire, which, when 
Paul was writino^, held dominion over the world. 

When, now, Jesus in his teaching, and Paul and other 
New Testament writers recoo-nize in the common nature 
of mankind the necessit\^ of family and of civil relations, 
and, in referring to their legitimate obligations, use the 
very words of a writer so just in his views, and when, at 
the same time, they quote these as models for the organ- 
ization of the church of Christ, they manifestly recognize 
the necessity for order and rule in the church as in the 
family and State. As then the family and the State are 
organized for a special end, and each has its official head 
as a means to an end, so must it be in Christ's church. 
Neither the nature of its mission, nor the spiritual char- 
acter of its members, exempts Christ's body from this 
necessity. 

With the points calling thus for special observation 
in the study of the New Testament as to church polity 
before the mind, two facts in the past history and pres- 
ent condition of American churches seem to call for 
special sincerit}^ and earnestness in every Christian's 
consideration of church polity. The very names Roman 
Catholic, English Episcopal, German Reformed, Scotch 
Presbyterian, and JSTew England Congregational, relate 
directly to the old nationalities and forms of civil gov- 
ernment, under which these several churches originated, 
and whose secular spirit may now be keeping alive their 
23 



0.66 Church Polity. 

special form. So far as its logical consistency and 
practical tendency is concerned, it is worthy of special 
thought, that the principle on which these distinctive 
names of churches and their peculiar polity are main- 
tained, is directly in opposition to that of American 
civil polit}^ ; in which '^ the children of this world" may 
be ''wiser than the children of light.'' While, in civil 
association, the varied people of this new and vast land 
are one, it may be that ancient differing, and -therefore, 
clashing and inconsistent principles of church polity, 
should seek a similar harmony, by a new study, in the 
light of modern times, of Christ's revealed truth. Yet 
again, our country has just passed through a crisis, 
which has compelled men united with churches, how- 
ever varied in form, to resort to one common, and 
that the simplest form of religious service, of clerical 
rank, and of organized Christian effort. One tenth of the 
active men of the different States have been away from 
their homes, spending months and j^ears in the camp. 
There, bell and candles, books and surplice, printed 
formulas of church order and rehearsed creeds, care- 
fully prepared manuscript sermons and well-appointed 
orchestras, were left behind, and were found practically 
inefficient. There, bishops and elders were reduced to 
the rank of simple Christian teachers and counselors, 
with no position or influence but the moral power they 
could secure among their comrades. Many spoke and 
wrote in favor of a more artificial organization, and of 
more authoritative official rank ; but the spirit of our 
institutions as a nation seemed always to stand in the 
way of a different polity. Perhaps it was a voice from 
God's providence to thousands of the more thoughtful, 
the sincere^ devout and earnestly useful of Christ's 
people, bearing different names before, but, now, in 
their practical efforts at Christian organization, one in 



Church Polity. 267 

theory and practice. Perhaps it was meant to be a 
Divine call to review this whole subject again, to look 
back at the origin and end of the church of Christ, to 
think of its work, and see how men have sought to per- 
form it ; and thus to reach a form of church order, 
whose theory and practice shall not in great emergen- 
cies be found to conflict. It maj^ be that a careful re- 
view of the words of inspiration, and a survey then of 
their manifest interpretation, as eminently Christian 
leaders have realized their meaning while applj-ing 
them, may guide to that system, true in itself, and true 
because taught by the inspired record. Certainly, no 
other means of reaching truth seems to be open to us. 

We approach then, the second proposed point of ex- 
amination, guided by the second suggestion of PauPs 
words to Timothy. 

Second. T-lie nature and extent of official authority sanc- 
tioned by Christ in his church ; as indicated by the in- 
spired words used to designate its office, and by the apos- 
tolical example recorded to illustrate the meaning of those 
words. 

Words, in themselves having an established meaning 
in one application, may have a modified signification, 
when used to represent kindred connections in widely 
distinct relations. It is necessary, therefore, first, to 
observe what words relating in general to official jDOsi- 
tion in the church, are used in the JSTew Testament* and 
then, perhaps, it is even more important to remark what 
terms, used to set forth civil authority , are not employed 
to represent ecclesiastical authority. After this careful 
scrutiny of direct Scripture teaching, the indirect teach- 
ing of examples, having the force of precedents, in the 
inspired history of the early church, should also be 
carefully scanned. 

The words used by the N'ew Testament writers to ex- 



268 Church Polity. 

press authority in the family or state, and the submission 
that is becoming in these relations, are mainly the follow- 
ing. The term archon, used by the Athenians to desig- 
nate their chief executive, is applied to both Koman 
civil magistrates ^ and Jewish ecclesiastical authori- 
ties, as members of the Sanhedrim and rulers of syna- 
gogues.*}* The fact that it is not used to represent the 
authority of officers of the Christian churches, seems to 
hint that neither Roman nor Grecian civil governments, 
nor even the Jewish synagogue, were in this respect 
models of the Christian church. The word hegemon, or 
leader, applied by the Greeks and Komans either to civil 
or military chiefs, generally rendered in English, governor, 
is applied to civil rulers ; as to Pilate, to Felix, and to 
the Roman governors at large. J It is instructive to ob- 
serve that this term is never applied to a leader in the 
Christian church. The verb corresponding, having the 
idea of moral as well as compulsory leading, is applied 
to the gentle sway of Joseph in Egypt, to the moral in- 
fluence of Christians in private life, and to the spiritual 
control of Christian pastors over the people of their 
charge. § The word most used to express authority in 
domestic governmeut over servants and children, is 
proistemi. \\ The word is applied to the two classes of 
officers in the Christian church, the bishops and deacons ; 
and is the word specially chosen to set forth the author- 
ity of what are called rulers in the church.^ The moral 
element, in the authority expressed by this word, is seen 
in its use twice by Paul, to represent that self-control 
,. ^ ♦ 

* Matt. XX. 25. Rom. xiii. 3. 1 Cor. ii. 16. 

t Matt. ix. 18. John iii. 1; vii. 26. Acts iii. 17. Luke viii. 41. 

t Matt. X. 18,- xxvii. 2, etc. Acts xxiii. 24, etc. 1 Pet. ii. 14. 

? Acts vii.lO. Phil. ii. 3. 1 Thess. v. 13. Heb. xiii. 7, 17, 24. 

II 1st TiQi. iii. 4, 5, 12. 

% Rom. xii. 8. 1 Thess. v. 12. 1 Tim. v. 17. 



Church Polity. 269 

which enables a Christian to ''maintain" the habit of 
'' good works. '^ 

The expressive title almost always employed by the 
New Testament writers, to designate the oflSce of rulers 
in the Christian church, is presbeus and its derivatives. 
It is the word used by the earlj^ Greek poets, as Hesiod, 
to characterize the patriarchal head of the earliest and 
simplest form of civil government, copied after that of 
the family. In the later writers, as the sages Plato and 
Aristotle, the historians from Herodotus to Thucydides, 
and the orators ^schines and Demosthenes, it is applied 
to ambassadors ; whose office is not only aside from, but 
contrasted with forcible authority. As the name of a 
civil office, this term corresponds to '' alderman'' or 
elder-man ; a member of the advisory branch, or council, 
of modern city governments. It certainly is signihcant 
that a word of such moral import is so generally chosen 
by the spirit of inspiration to set forth the office of the 
Christian minister. 

A second word of the same nature is episcopos ;-\ 
a title applied at first to an inspector of treaties and 
laws, afterward of public works ; and, yet later, to men 
sent out as prefects to conquered and tributary cities 
and states, to examine their laws prior to their subjec- 
tion to Grecian sway, empowered to decide how far they 
were adapted to the new civil relation of the conquered 
or subject people. This title applied to the chief officer 
of the Christian church, J purely moral as it was even 
in its civil ap^jlications, must have been designedl}'' 



^ Tit. iii. 8, 14. 

■f- 2 Cor. V. 20. Luke xv. 2b. 1 Tim. v. 1. John viii. 9. Acts xxIy. 
1. Acts xi. 30; xiv. 23, etc. 1 Tim. v. 17, 19. Tit. i. 5. James v. 14. 
1 Pet. V. 1. 2 John i. compare Philem ix. 

J Acts XX. 28. Phil. i. 1. 1 Tim. iii. 2. Tit. i. 7. 1 Pet. ii. 25; 
verb, 1 Pet. v. 2. Heb. xii. 15. 

23* 



270 Church Polity. 

selected by the Divine Spirit. Directly associated with 
this is the noun poimm, shepherd, and its derived verb, 
a word* used by Homer, to denote the simple mild sway 
of early patriarchal rulers, and by Xenophon to picture 
Socrates' ideal of the relation a civil ruler ought always 
to hold to his people. The noun and verb are both ap- 
plied by the inspired penman* to Jesus, as the '' good 
shepherd ;" while the verb is also used by Christ and his 
Apostles, to designate the Christian pastor's office. 

Turning again to a class of counterpart words, desig- 
nating the submission on the part of the ruled to those 
placed over them, in domestic, civil, and ecclesiastical 
relations, three terms are found to be most important 
and significant. The word hypakouo, to obey, indicative 
of absolute submission, is used by Paul, as it is by Aris- 
totle, to indicate the obedience due to the superior in 
two of the domestic relations, that of children and ser- 
vants ; but is never applied to the first domestic relation, 
except under the Old Testament dispensation, as illus- 
trated in Sarah's subjection to Abraham. f This word 
is employed to represent the submission, absolute, 
though not unreasoning, which Christians should yield 
to Christ, and also to apostles in their character of 
inspired men only ;J but it is never employed to indi- 
cate submission to rulers in the church. The word 
hypotasso, to range under, used by Aristotle to indicate 
the voluntary and assumed official deference rendered 
among equals, as by a wife to her husband, by a subor- 
dinate in military service or in civil life, to a chief of his 
own choosing, is employed always by Paul and Peter, 
not only to indicate the wife's relation and the citizen's 

^^ John X. 1-10. EpL. iv. 1. Heb. xiii. 20. 1 Pet. ii. 25. John xxi. 
16. Matt. ii. 6, Rev. ii. 27. 

f Eph. vi. 1, 5, etc, 1 Pet. iii. G. 

t Acts vi. 7. Eom. vi. IT. 1 Pet. i. 2. Phi], ii. 12, 2 Thes. iii. 14, 



Church Polity. 271 

duty to •civil government,"'' but, also, the deference due 
from members of a Christian church to those havins: 
official authority among them.f A third word, peith- 
arched, impljdng the rule of persuasion, is also employed 
to indicate submission to Divine authority, to civil rulers, 
and also to those holding office in the church. J 

It is worthy of special notice, in surveying the words 
thus considered, that Paul, mingling chiefly with Greeks 
rather than Jews, and using words familiar to the com- 
mon people, manifestly intended to direct their minds to 
a likeness between legitimate civil government and that 
appropriate in the Christian church ; while he is also in- 
spired to indicate, in the most expressive manner, that 
the two are most unlike in the power which their officers 
may employ. Every word designating the arbitrary 
authority that belongs to civil government, authorized 
to employ physical force, is studiously omitted in repre- 
senting the power of church officers ; a fact deserving 
careful consideration by those who would suggest that 
the form of ecclesiastical polit}- may, in different countries, 
be with propriety conformed to the prevailing state polity. 

Again, while the church of Christ may, in some mea- 
sure, have been modeled after the order of the Jewish 
synagogue, the authority of the chief ruler of the Jew- 
ish synagogue is as strictly denied as is that of the 
Athenian archon, in the Christian church ; since this 
office of the Jewish ecclesiastical and the Grecian civil 
archon is, by omission, denied a place in the assembly- 
of Christ's people. It is perhaps more conformed to 
the entire teaching of the New Testament, just con- 
sidered and to be yet observed, to suppose that " na- 

^ Eph. V. 22. Col. iii. 18. Tit. ii. 5. 1 Pet. iii. 1, 5. Rom. xiii. 1, 5. 
1 Pet. ii. 13. 

t 1 Cor. xiv. 32, 34,- xvi. la. Eph. v. 21. 1 Pet. v. 5. 
X Acts V. 29. Tit. iii. 1. Heb. xiii. 17. James iii. 3, 



272 Church Polity. 

ture'^ and '^ common ""custom" as to organizations, 
domestic, civil, or social, familiar to Greeks and Jews 
as they are to all nations, substantially the same in au- 
thority though varied in application, were adopted in 
the Christian churches, planted in different lands, just 
so far as the character and mission of Christ's spiritual 
bod}^ admitted the moral sway necessary to be allowed 
in the presiding head of all associations of men. 

We are prepared now briefly to allude to the history 
of ISTew Testament examples, often dwelt upon at 
large by writers on church organization ; that we may 
see how these examples illustrate and develop the hints 
already received from the words designating ecclesiasti- 
cal authority. 

Christ twice alludes to his ^^ church,'"^ and often 
to the authority and duties of its officers. His re- 
quirement, that an offending brother first be remon- 
strated with alone, then by two or three, then before 
the whole ''church," when, if still unyielding, he be 
regarded as a ''heathen man," certainly intimates 
these three principles : First, that moral conduct, in- 
dicated by positive acts, is the proper subject of church 
discipline, and, as such, moral means are to be used for 
the offender's recovery ; second, that the whole church 
is the authoritative body to whom final appeal is to be 
made, though chosen men are to act for the church in 
efforts to convince and persuade the WTong-doer ; third, 
that the authority, even of the church, extends no fur- 
ther than to exclude the unworthy member from their 
number. Again, when Christ declares, " On this rock 
will I build my church," and announces that he gives 
to Peter and the other apostles the keys of heaven and 
of hell, as emblems of absolute authority in his church, 



*Matt. xviii. 17; xvi, 18. 



Church Polity. 273 

a power never repeated afterward as belonging to 
Christian pastors, it is mianifest that this absolute 
authority relates only to their writings, rather than to 
themselves ; to their writings, only when they were iii^ 
spired ; and to their inspired writings, not as their oivn, 
but as God's word. Their relative rank, common to all 
Christian ministers, aside from the peculiar authority 
they possessed at hours when under the influence of in- 
spiration, is clearly taught by Christ. When ''they dis- 
puted which should be the greatest,'' Christ, alluding to 
the different grades of official dignity existing among 
civil rulers, expressly declared, ''It shall not be so 
among you ;"^ while to Peter, the leader of all, he de- 
scribed their office as that only of the shepherd tend- 
ing and feeding his flock ; three times repeating it, 
though in varied language, "Feed my lambs ;" "Tend 
my sheep ;" " Feed my sheep. "f 

Passing from the life and teachings of Christ to the 
Acts and Epistles of his Apostles, numerous precedents 
and precepts of significant import are to be traced. When 
an apostle to fill Judas' place is to be selected, the whole 
company, men and women, are appealed to in common, 
in reference to the election. J Two classes of officers, one 
to attend to the secular, the other to the spiritual minis- 
trations of the church, are seen to have early arisen. For, 
as among the twelve one had been chosen by Jesus to 
carry the bag, so, in the church at Jerusalem, persons 
whose appointment is not mentioned, it arose so natu- 
rally, were occupied in distributing to the needy ; when, 
because of complaints of neglect, seven men were formally 
elected to superintend this work.§ In the church after- 
ward, the office of deacon is mentioned with,|| though 

- Luke xxii. 25, 26. f John xxi. 15-17. 

+ Acts i. 15-23. 2 John xii. 6; xiii. 29, 30. Acts vi. 1-4. 

II Phil. i. 1. 1 Tim. iii. 1 and 8. 



274 Church Polity. 

subordinate to,* that of bishop; an office which, among 
the Greeks proper, though not among the Jews and Gre- 
cian proselytes at Jerusalem, required female aids ;f 
whose appointment and office Paul unfolds in writing 
to Timothj^J When Barnabas and Saul are sent forth 
as the first foreign missionaries, the whole church at 
Antioch co-operate in their election; while their ''pro- 
phets'' and " teachers" ordain them to the work by 
prayer and the laying on of hands. § When the ques- 
tion, how far Old Testament requirements were binding 
on Grecian Christians, was to be authoritatively settled, 
and Paul and Barnabas went from Antioch to Jerusalem 
to consult the apostles and brethren on this subject, 
Paul sa^^s that they " communicated, first, privately to 
them that were of reputation" their message ; that then 
the ''apostles and elders came together to consider of 
this matter;" but when the decision was made and read, 
" then pleased it the apostles, and elders, and the whole 
church," to send letters expressive of their conviction. 
The restricted field of the legitimate action of the council 
is seen in the fact that only the moral bearings of a just 
interpretation of Old Testament teachings on religious 
conduct came before them for discussion. The ultimate 
authority of decision as residing in the church again is 
seen in the fact that after Peter, Barnabas, and Saul had 
stated facts which had occurred, and James had given 
his opinion, drawn from a comparison of events with the 
teachings of Moses and the prophets, the address of the 
Council to the churches begins, " The apostles, elders, and 
brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the 
Gentiles in Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia." The purely 

-Included Tit. i. 5, in the general term "elders," but not specially 
mentioned as in v. 7, the bishop. 

f Rom. xvi. 1, compare Acts vi. 1-6. J 1 Tim. v. 3-16. 

2 Acts xiii. 1-3. 



Church Polity. 275 

moral, or advisory character of the decree, yet again, is 
manifest throughout the letter, declaring their decision 
in such expressions as these : '^ It seemed good unto us, 
being assembled with one accord ;^^ " it seemed good to the 
Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no greater burthen 
than these necessary things ;'' and, in conclusion, ''from 
which, ^/ye keep yourselves, ye shall do welV^^ 

Turning from the Acts of the Apostles to their Epis- 
tles, we note the following instructive items. To the 
Komans, Paul pictures the church as a body made up of 
many members, with varied gifts, ranking the prophet, 
minister, exhorter, giver, and ruler all on the same level ; 
instead of^ addressing a bishop or pope as the vicar of 
Christ, he writes, ''to all that are in Rome, beloved of 
God, called to be saints ;" and, in conclusion, he sends sal- 
utations to no less than twenty-seven individuals named, 
several of whom are females, some of whom have house- 
holds and churches in their houses; to whom the saluta- 
tion is also addressed. f It would seem as if wisdom 
incomprehensible to man guided the inspired penman so 
to embalm for all time the memory of what the primitive 
church of Rome was, that its deep teaching should escape 
the ken of degenerate leaders in that church ; so com- 
pletely, indeed, that those corrupt successors to the 
responsible care of the inspired epistles have given them 
unadulterated to the Christian world, never suspecting 
the condemnation they gave to their own perversions. 

In his exhortations to the Corinthian church, we see 
the genuine character of the early Christian church in 
its excesses. Even Paul, Apollos, and Peter hjid no 
controlling authority ; for the church was divided be- 
tw^een them, each following his favorite. In their assem- 
blies for worship, every one had a psalm, an address, or 

* Acts XV. 1-29. Gal. ii. 1, 2. t Rom. i. 7 ; xii. 4-8; xvi. 3-15. 



276 Church Polity. 

a prayer ; even women praying and prophesying, some- 
times nncovered : while to correct these extremes of in- 
dependence, Paul urges, that ^'nature'' and '^ custom'' 
should restrain women from public ministrations, that 
" God is not the author of confusion, and that all in the 
church are alike honorable and to be honored as mem- 
bers of the body; yet God has assigned, as for the hand 
and foot, the eye and the ear, each his own place in the 
body, ^' first, apostles ; secondarily, prophets ; thirdly, 
teachers ; after that, miracles ; then gifts of healing, 
helps in government, diversities of tongues,'' in which 
enumeration not only gove7^nment, but " helps in govern- 
ment," are recognized as having legitimate place. "^ 

In later epistles the offices of the church and its au- 
thority as a body are frequently urged. The Galatiansf 
are taught, ''If any be overtaken in a fault, ye that are 
spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness,'^ 
indicating the character for special spirituality, that 
should belong to rulers in the church. The EphesiansJ 
are reminded that as among pure angels there are ''prin- 
cipalities and powers in the heavenl}^ places," so God 
has set in the church apostles, prophets, evangelists, 
pastors, and teachers, for the edifying and uniting com- 
pactly of the body of Christ. To Timothy and Titus§ 
he describes the virtues, all moral, which should belong 
to a bishop and deacon. He pictures the rule of the 
church so perfectly like that of a famil}^, that onl}^ a suc- 
cessful father can be expected to prove a successful pas- 
tor ; he declares that he expects that the authority 
and influence of the ruler in the church will reside, as it 
ought, chiefly in those who " labor in the word and doc- 
trine," and he limits its personal power over a member 
guilty of wilful insubordination, error, or vice, to the duty 

* 1 Cor. i. 12; ix. 3; xi. 3-lG; xii. 12-28. f Gal. vi. 1. 

i Eph. iii. 10 i iv. 4-12. g 1 Tim. iii. 1-13 ; v. 17-19. Tit. i. 5-9. 



Church Polity. tzyy 

of withdrawal from such a member, while, as we have 
seen, the church's authority extends no further than to 
exclusion from their number.* 

Most impressive and affecting of all is the language 
of that apostle, specially impulsive and forward, ever 
accustomed to be seen as a leader, and made by some 
the special vicar of Christ. His estimate of his own offi- 
cial character, as a model for all others holding position 
in the church, thus wells up as a sweet stream from a 
purified fount. " The elders among you I exhort, who 
am also an elder ; Feed the flock of God which is among 
you, taking the oversight thereof not b}^ constraint, but 
willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind, nei- 
ther as being lords over God's heritage, but as examples 
to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd shall ap- 
pear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not 
away."f 

While throughout the Acts of the Apostles germs of 
association among Christian churches appear, in the 
epistles these indications are so manifest that they must 
be regarded a rule of duty. Members are commended, by 
letters both of the apostles and of churches, as Phebe by 
Paul, and Paul by the Corinthian church. J Co-operating 
efi'orts for the poor disciples in distant regions are made ; 
Paul himself acting as a general agent, while pastors and 
messengers, approved by letters from their churches, com- 
bine in these wide-spread efi'orts.§ Organized associa- 
tions sustain missionary heralds ; Paul and Barnabas, 
being first sent out from Antioch, but sustained, as also 
the other apostles were, by regular stipends, and occa- 
sional gifts sent to them ; Paul thus being enabled to 
live in his own hired house at distant 'JElome.|| Through 

* 1 Tim. vi. 5. 1 Cor. v. 5. t 1 Pet. v. 1-5. 

+ Rom. xvi. 1. 2 Cor. iii. 1. ? Acts xi. 28, 30.- 1 Cor. xvi. 1-12. 

li Acts xiii. 3; XV. 3; xxi. 5. 1 Cor. ix. 4-7. 2 Cor. xi. 8,9. Phil. iv. 10-18. 

24 



278 Church Polity. 

kindred associations, the epistles of Paul, written to in- 
dividual churches, are multiplied, like the other Scrip- 
tures, by the pen; and are sent to distant churches and 
regions, until they become so numerous that they are in 
the hands of even the unlearned.* 

All these testimonies seem to confirm the principle, 
that the official heads in the Christian church are the 
selection of its membership, having only advisory au- 
thority as agents of the church ; while the church has 
no other province than that of watch-care over the 
spiritual life of its members, and the securing of co- 
operation in Christian efi'ort for others. It seems 
equally apparent, that associations of churches are 
made up of representatives selected by individual 
churches ; that their authority is simply advisory ; and 
that it relates only to such subjects as belong to the 
Christian advancement of those already believers, and 
union for the extending of the gospel to those that 
either have not heard or have not believed the word. 

There is yet a third point of consideration, at the 
same time confirmatory of the principles thus developed, 
and illustrative of their essential truth hy their practi- 
cal power and excellence. 

Third. The beneficial fruits of adherence to the gos- 
pel standard of church polity ; as exemplified in the Scrip- 
ture interpretation^ and the adopted policy of evangelical 
Christian leaders in difi^erent ages. 

There were certain statements of Christ, whose mean- 
ing, John says, his disciples did not apprehend till he 
had arisen from the dead.f So, doubtless, there are 
statements of his apostles as to church polity, and even in- 
spired words of far-reaching meaning as to domestic and 
civil government, which no human mind can comprehend 

* Col. iv. 16. 2 Pet, iii, 15, 16, f Jo^^i ii- 22, etc. 



Church Polity. 279 

till the progress of Christian civilization unfolds their im- 
port. It certainly must be instructive to every sincere 
inquirer after Christ's revealed plan of church polity, 
to find that in many a successive era of the histor}- of 
the church, the wisest and best, the most thoughtful 
and useful men, have sat down to personal study of the 
words of Christ and of Paul, relating to the offices and 
the government of his church, and, aided by the light 
of Providence, amid the troubles of the church in their 
da}^ have arrived at substantially the same conclusions, 
as to its necessary establishment, and the nature of its 
legitimate, happy, and useful organization. 

The source from which we are to draw the history of 
the church, after w^e leave the inspired histor^^ of the 
Acts and the Epistles of the apostles, is the writings of 
Christian men succeeding each other from generation 
to generation ; first, the contemporaries and disciples, or 
pupils, of the apostles, such as Clement, to whom Paul 
alludes ; Polycarp and Ignatius, disciples of John ; then 
Irenseus and others of the second generation ; Tertullian, 
Justin, and others of the third ; and so onward in an un- 
broken chain. The relation to the inspired writers of all 
these uninspired, yet intelligent and sincere Christian 
men, is illustrated by two classes of native preachers 
now observed in the mission fields of Southern Asia. 
The most intelligent and thoroughly cultured Hindoo, 
Burman, or Chinese, when converted to Christ, is as 
clear in judgment and as accurate in his testimony as 
the trained American missionary, when speaking of 
matters appealing to the eyesight in observation, to the 
understanding in history, or to religious consciousness 
in spiritual experience. But, if such a man attempts to 
unfold the meaning of the statements of Christ or of 
Paul, he unconsciousl}^ mixes up with revealed truth his 
former heathen notions and reasonings. Hence, an 



!2 8o Church Polity. 

instructed Christian, sitting in a convention of native 
Christians, can readily pick out the young men trained 
for years under the missionarj^'s teaching, from among 
the men of maturer years and education that have not 
had that training ; tlie one presenting only truth, the 
other mixing up with the truth errors, whose principles 
can be traced to their former superstitions. Just so, it was 
easy for Christians of the age after the apostles to select 
the inspired writings of Paul from ordinary letters that 
he wrote when uninspired ; and still more easy was it to 
discriminate between the writings of apostles and of their 
immediate successors. The latter are extremely valua- 
ble as to matters of fact, in Christian histor}^ occurring 
in their day ; though in matters of doctrine specially 
marked by Grecian and Roman errors in philosophy 
and faults in morals, the failure to discriminate be- 
tween which has led to the error of the Tractarians in 
the late controversies in the English Episcopal church. 

Turning to these writers, Ignatius, receiving his 
Christian instruction under John, evidently replying to 
some perversion of oflQcial authority, such as Paul and 
Peter anticipate would arise, exclaims, '' What indeed 
is the eldership, but a sacred constituted body, fellow- 
counsellors and judges with the presiding pastor ;'-'^ 
an expression w^hich indicates the purely moral nature 
of the office of both the pastor and his appointed advisers. 
Again, Irenaeus, living about a century after the apos- 
tles, writing as episcopos, or presiding pastor, at Lyons 
in France, to Victor, who held the same office at Rome, 
and contending for the simplicity and independence of 
their official authority, enumerates all who have held 
his office since Peter at Rome, and states that as 

sbpsvtai Tfov STiicxoTiov.'^^ 



Church Polity. 281 

episcopoi, or presiding pastors, they were preshytei^oiy 
or elders. 

When, at length, the natural ambition for official 
superiority, which Christ rebuked among his apostles, 
and which Ignatius and Irenaens saw in the church even 
during the dark days of the age of persecution, could 
throw off its cloak in the age of Constantine, Jerome 
argued at length what his predecessors had occasion to 
allude to ; urging, " The elder is the same as the bishop 
or presiding pastor."^ ^ '^ "^ Should any one think 
that it is not the sentiment of the Scriptures, but our 
opinion, that the bishop and the presbyter are one, this 
the name of age that of office, let him read again the 
words of the apostle to the Philippians, ' Paul and 
Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ to all the sanctified 
in Christ who are at Philippi, with the bishops and 
deacons, grace to you and peace,' etc. Philippi was a 
single city of Macedonia ; and certainly in a single city 
there could not be several such as are now regarded 
bishops. But since, at that time, the same men were 
bishops as were called elders, therefore, he spoke indis- 
criminately of bishops as of elders.'' Proceeding to 
argue from the Scriptures, as evangelical Christian men 
always have, this clear-thinking and sincere-hearted 
writer, living only two centuries after John, cites again 
Paul's indiscriminate use of the titles elders and bishops, 
in his address recorded in Acts 20th ; then the humble 
acknowledgment of Peter, the head of the Roman 
church, that he was but an elder. Turning finallyf to 
the history of the church, then so brief, he adds this 
important statement, "At Alexandria, from the evan- 
gelist Mark down to the bishops Heraclas and Dionysius, 



* "Idem est presbyter, qui et episcopus.^* 
f Hieroc. Annot, Epist. ad Titum; et Epist. ad Evagrium. 
24* 



282 Church Polity. 

the elders always gave the name of bishop to one whom 
they elected from themselves, and placed in a higher 
rank ; in the same way as an army may create a general, 
or as deacons may elect from their own number one 
whom the}'- know to be laborious, and may call him arch- 
deacon.'^ 

About two hundred years later, or in the sixth cen- 
tury, when, under Justinian, the great church builder, 
danger from aspiring men was still greater, the devoted 
Chrysostom brings out repeatedly, the added fact, that 
the elders in the early church were nothing else than 
the pastors and deacons associated ; his words being, 
''The elders anciently were called bishops and deacons 
of Christ; and bishops, elders." Yet three hundred 
years, still later, in the ninth century, when, under 
Charlemagne of France, truly pious men, like Alcuinus, 
were seeking to spread true Christianity among the 
people of central Europe conquered by his army, an 
effort in which the emperor, often with wisdom and 
always with zeal, co-operated, so wide spread and long- 
prevalent was the simple evangelical view of the office 
of the Christian bishop, that it became for centuries 
the avowed doctrine of leaders in the Roman church. 
Thus Bernaldus, a zealous advocate of the arbitrary 
assumption, A. D. 1088, of Gregory, contends that as 
bishops, according to Jerome's authoritative proof, 
which he quotes, had originally no higher authority than 
elder, therefore, the Roman Pontiff is trulj^ supreme 
over bishops as over elders ; a turning of the tables upon 
their own heads, from which the lordly bishops of the 
time found it difficult to extricate themselves. In the 
first canon of the council held at Beneventum, under 
Pope Urban II., A. D. 1091, occurs this admission: " We 
declare as sacred orders, those of the deacon and elder. 
Indeed, the primitive church is said to have had these 



Church Polity. 283 

only." Even in the Council of Trent, convoked in the 
sixteenth century to meet the spreading fire of the 
Reformation, polic}^ compelled this declaration found in 
the preamble of one of its decrees ; '^ Whereas the 
preaching of the gospel^ which is the special office of 
bishops, is as essential to every Christian communit}' as 
the reading of the word, therefore, this sacred s}- nod has 
determined and decreed," etc. 

The discussion of every point of Christian doctrine 
and practice which arose during the early spread of the 
Reformation, called out a reconsideration of all that 
Christ and his apostles had taught, and of all that the 
history of the church afforded, illustrative of church 
polit}^ In that discussion, the main effort was to dis- 
criminate between elders and bishops ; the discussion 
turning mainly on the statement of Paul, 1 Thess. v. 12 ; 
1 Tim. iii. 2; and especially in our text, 1 Tim. v. It. 
These discussions were revived in the great Methodist 
movement under Wesley and Whitefield ; the adherents 
to the Episcopal and the Independent forms of church 
organization being of opposite views. These discussions, 
continued to this day, have tended more and more to 
an acknowledgment of the manifestl}" simple system 
shining on the very face of the Xew Testament state- 
ments. 

A remarkable instance of the power of the truth in its 
simplicity to appeal to and compel a mind of deey 
thoughtfulness and sincerity, is seen in the '^ Essays on 
the Kingdom of Christ," published about A. D., 1840, by 
Archbishop Whately, of the English Episcopal Church, 
and republished in New York, by Rev. Prof. Thomas 
H. Skinner, D.D., A. D., 1842. The volume consists of 
two essays ; the first on '' Christ's account of his own 
Person, and of the nature of his Kingdom ;" the second 
on '' The Constitution, Powers, and Ministry of th« 



284 Church Polity. 

Christian Church.'' Designed, as the treatise was, to 
bring out evangelical and scriptural truth to oppose the 
tendency of the party in the English church who would 
return to the views of the Church of Rome, all thought 
of disguise was forgotten, if conceived ; or rather, the 
whole soul of the truly pious prelate was absorbed in the 
feeling of personal and official responsibility to defend 
Christ's simple truth. He finds the model of the Chris- 
tian church in simple, voluntary associations for literary 
and other purposes ; more familiar to the mass of the 
early Christians who were Gentiles, than was the Jewish 
sj^iagogue. He thinks the omissions of the Scriptures 
as to details of church polity were directed by the 
Divine Spirit, ^* on purpose that other churches in other 
ages and regions might not be led to consider them- 
selves bound to adhere to several formularies, customs, 
and rules that were of local and temporary appointment." 
As to the separation of civil and ecclesiastical rule, he 
says: ''Magistrates would cease to act on Christian 
principles, who should employ coercive power in the 
cause of Christianit}^" Of the primitive organization 
of Christian churches, he unhesitatingly sa^^s :/' The 
plan pursued by the apostles seems to have been to es- 
tablish a great number of small, distinct, and indepen- 
dent communities, each governed by its own single 
bishop." ''A church has a right to admit or refuse to 
admit members. This right it possesses as a society ; as 
a Christian society it has a right to decide who shall or 
shall not exercise certain functions, and under what cir- 
cumstances." ''In a voluntary community the ultimate 
penalty must be expulsion." "A church and a diocese 
seem to have been, for a considerable time, coextensive 
and identical. And each church or diocese, and conse- 
quently, each bishop or superintendent, though con- 
rected with the rest by ties of faith, hope, and charity, 



Church Polity. 285 

seems to have been perfectly independent, as far as re- 
gards any power of control ; occasionally conferring 
with the brethren in other churches, but owing no sub- 
mission to any central, common authority, except the 
apostles themselves.'^ Certainly, the idea of a Christian 
church, as ^Dresented in the former part of our present 
consideration, could hardly have been more fully stated. 
When great emergencies in the history of Christ's king- 
dom arise, how the true watchmen see eye to eye ! 

The important practical conclusions to be borne away 
from our whole survey of the subject of church polity, 
as principles of personal Christian conduct, may be thus 
summed up. 

First. The necessity of human nature makes a form 
of organization, rules of order, and official rank in the 
Christian church, essential to its success. It is not 
simply among men, a depraved race, but among pure 
angels, that grades of intelligence and subordination pre- 
vail. In every branch of the Christian church, even the 
least formal sect of Friends, there are appointed weekly 
assemblies of separate congregations, and yearly meet- 
ings of associated congregations ; and in these, there 
are recognized leaders and presiding officers, estab- 
lished rules of order, and prescribed limits as to sub 
jects coi^idered. 

Second. The source of authoritative teaching as to 
church polity, at all times, when circumstances have 
made the issue one of practical importance, has been 
the word and example of inspired men, interpreted in 
the light of present providences. Every church begins 
with a simple union of equals ; as numbers and popu- 
larity increase, and worldly ambition draws men into it, 
efforts to introduce worldly distinctions among men, plans 
of organizations and topics for conventional action are 
made ; but in times of danger from corruption and of 



286 Church Polity. 

return to spiritual consecration, there is a return to the 
word and example of Christ, interpreted and applied 
by the circumstances which impress the inspired truth. 
The advancing spirit of the whole body of professed be- 
lievers in Christ has been strikinglj^ illustrated in the 
published writings of the Protestant leaders of Italy, 
who contend for a return to the primitive church of 
Rome as pictured in Paul's epistle ; in the evangelical 
scholarship of Germany, combating the tendencies of 
rationalism ; in the spiritual party in the Church of Eng- 
land, resisting the leaning toward the doctrines of the 
Eoman church ; and even in the remarkable letters of 
the Archbishop of Paris, in 1852, opposing the new 
dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The 
simple truth of Christ will always, in trying times, win 
the homage and allegiance of good men. 

Third. The nature of church organization is clear to 
Christian men, when Christ's mission is the end at 
which they are aiming. A church is an association, 
voluntary so far as any human authority is concerned, 
though obligatory on all believers in Christ, because 
of his comnjand ; it is made up of belie A^ers in Christ 
depending on his sacrifice for justification and on his 
spirit for sanctification ; it is united to observe his ordi- 
nances, to maintain his worship and to cooperate in ex- 
tending his kingdom ; it has, as its directing leaders, 
one class devoted to the spiritual interests and another 
to the temporal necessities of the body ; and it has 
power to receive, discipline, or exclude members, accord- 
ing as their views, spirit, and cod duct seem conformed 
to Christ's doctrine and precepts, and to select men, 
who seem best fitted for it, as their spiritual and tempo- 
ral leaders. In the association of Christians for be- 
nevolent and spiritual objects, the principle of a volun- 
tary society, made up of individuals, who pay a fixed 



Church Polity. 287 



ji. 



sum, or of church representation, may control the 
membership ; and in either case, the action of the body 
should be limited to the objects stated in their constitu- 
tion or to those appropriate for church action. 

Fourth. The duty of adhering to the New Testament 
standard of church polity is virtually maintained by all 
good men, when, in an emergency which tests an estab- 
lished church, such men invariably go back to that 
standard to resist perversions. Dr. Wayland saj^s of 
civil society, that no nation has a right to organize a 
government on any other than just principles; or such 
as would exclude any right-minded conscientious man. 
This principle, certainly, tacitly recognized by all good 
men in church polity when emergencies arise, should 
enter into everj^ church at its origin, since thus try- 
ing emergencies would be anticipated. Archbishop 
Whateley, earnestly resisting unjust authority seeking to 
get control of the English Episcopal Church, says, "■ to 
vindicate the institutions of our own or of some other 
church on the ground, that they are not in themselves 
superstitious or ungodly, that they are not at variance 
with gospel principles or with any divine injunction 
that was designed to be of universal obligation, is in- 
telligible and reasonable. But to vindicate them on 
the ground of the exact conformity, which it is notori- 
ous they do not possess, to the most ancient models, and 
even to go beyond this, and condemn all Christians 
whose institutions and ordinances are not 'one and 
utterly like' our own, on the ground of their departure 
from the apostolical precedents, which no church has 
exactly adhered to, does seem, to use no harsher ex- 
pression, not a little inconsistent and unreasonable." 
To adhere, then, to the gospel standard, is certainly the 
only way to oneness in church organization, and seems 
also to be the onl}^ legitimate Christian rule. 



288 Church Polity. 

Fifth, The special seasons, when both theoretical and 
practical attention is called to forms of church polity 
should be well improved ; that this oneness of church 
polity and conformity in it to Christ's rule may be se- 
cured. After the American Revolution, alike in Epis- 
copal Yirginia and South Carolina and in Puritan 
Massachusetts, the ministers of which former church 
adhered to the royalist and of the latter to the popular 
parties, confidence was shaken in the Established 
Church order ; especially in its resort to the civil power 
for its maintenance. Whole sections of Yirginia, and 
numerous communities in Carolina and Massachusetts, 
embraced the principles of adherence to scriptural pre- 
cedent as to church polity maintained by the Baptist 
denomination ; and an influence was begun which made 
this denomination, from being the least, to become the 
most numerous in the United States. The agitations 
now rending the Established Churches of Italy, Germany, 
France and England, and the experience of Christian 
cooperation in our own country during the years of war 
just passed in which true Christians of all these nations 
and of varied denominations have been united, have 
stirred the pens and have awakened the voices of many 
of the best men of Europe and of America, who pray 
and plead for Christian union. They seem to be the 
call of Divine Providence demanding a new and most 
earnest consideration of Christ's method of Church 
Polity. 



XIII. 
CHURCH WORSHIP 



By SAMUEL L. CALDWELL, D.D., 

Pastor of First Baptist Church, Providence, R. 1'. 



-* Foe we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in 
Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." — Philippians iii. 3. 

** Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holt priesthood, to 
offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God, by Jesus Christ." — 1 Peter ii. 5. 

Worship is the natural offspring of religion, of all 
religions. Gross or spiritual, they take form and body, 
they find instruments and expression, a ministry and a 
ritual, each after its kind. It is a necessity of the reli- 
gious and of the social nature alike. Religion takes 
hold of society, and brings men together in the fellow- 
ship of worship of a common place, time and service 
of devotion. There has been no living, perpetuated 
religion in the world without an outward cultus ; with- 
out some altar, or sacrament, or pulpit — a visible minis- 
try and service. Worship has been a universal custom, as 
common as government, as natural as dress. Whatever 
has ceased among men, this never has. The dead races, 
the distant times, have left little beside the relics of their 
worship. Into its structures, the wealth and the genius, 
as well as the reverence and the faith of mankind have 
gone. The wondrous stones of Philse and Psestum, the 
spires of Strasburg and Salisbury, no less than Jacob's 
rude pillar in Bethel, or Moses' tent of skins in the 
desert, the transient or the enduring houses, where men 
bow to one God or many gods, tell that worship is in 
25 (289) 



290 Church Worship. 

man, a necessary part of his nature and his life ; that 
wherever there is a religion there will be a worship cor- 
responding. 

And so Christianity being a religion for society no 
less than for the private soul, falls into the same line, 
and organizes worship after a law of its own. Having 
first organized a church, it makes this its primary and 
proper office. In its spirituality it does not disallow, it 
has not superseded this constant fact of human nature, 
but takes it up, spiritualizes it, and converts it to its 
own spirit and use. Sabbath and temple and priesthood 
it accepts, to renew them to itself and its service. It 
does not consist in worship, but it depends upon it, puts 
itself into it, does not live without it. It is a doctrine 
and a spiritual life, it is a faith of the soul ; but so also, 
it is a church and a worship ; and these all go together 
and affect each other. Especially does worship grow 
out of the church, and become its natural function. 
They are indispensable and ancillar}^ to each other. One 
of them never goes alone. They are both organic growths 
of the same spirit of life, simple or artificial, spiritual or 
formal, scriptural or traditional together. The church 
exists for many purposes, but for none before this. It 
is a depository of truth ; it is a home and school for 
religious nurture and education ; a society and fellow- 
ship of the faithful ; a light to lighten the gentiles ; a 
corporate agency, a missionary institute, to preach the 
gospel and turn men to God ; but so, also, is this its 
calling and function, to perform, to keep and maintain 
the worship of God. It exists for this end, that there 
may be a body charged with this obligation, fulfilling 
this sacred office for societ}^ If worship is not left to 
chance, and the spontaneous ofi'ering of individual souls : 
if, instead of being the fleeting breath of the hour, it is 
to be an institution and social custom] if it is to have 



Church Worship. 291 

order and permanence, it must have an organized body, 
a church, something to sustain, to offer it. And if there 
is a church, a Divine institution, a spiritual society, a 
body of Christ, it has little use or power, or even reason 
to exist, without a worship. Seeing they are so insepar- 
able, seeing, too, I follow in a course of sermons which 
have been developing the true idea of the church, it is 
most natural to take up my assigned topic of worship in 
this relation, and look at it first as a function of the 
church, as one of the great ends and uses of its organi- 
zation, as the duty and office vfith which it is specially 
charo'ed. 

Worship belongs to the church as a part of its priestly 
character and work : ^' Ye also, as lively stones are built 
up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spirit- 
ual sacrifices, acceptable unto God by Jesus Christ." In 
Judaism an hereditary priesthood performed all religious 
offices for the people. When Christ came, the Mediator 
and High Priest of a better covenant, the priesthood 
ceased, or rather passed over in spirit to the whole 
body of Christians, and became the function of all the 
church of God. Through and under him, as their Chief 
Priest, passed into the heavens, they here on earth come 
into a character, place, relation in things pertaining to 
God, not merely individual, but representative ; ordained 
and anointed of the Spirit to draw nigh to God, and for 
others as well as for themselves to make their requests 
known unto him. 

They are qualified and separated to this very thing by 
their personal religious experience. They have found, 
they know, the way to God. He is in the dark, remote, 
uncertain, hidden, till he is found in Christ. He does 
not come near into the field of human knowledge and 
trust, till he reveals himself in Christ Jesus. But he 
whose faith is there has open communication, and access 



292 Church Worship. 

by one Spirit unto the Father. He no longer gropes in 
the dark, feeling after God, if haply he may find liim. 
God is no longer cold, distant, dead under the laws, 
impersonal beyond the stars. The vail falls ; doubt and 
distrust disappear with all our sin, at the vision of Jesus' 
face, at the touch of his blood, and we can speak to 
God, asking what we will, and know that he heareth us 
always. 

In virtue of their regeneration, also, they have an 
anointing to this very office. They are made priests 
unto God, because they have passed from death unto 
life. Their own personal experiences of want and sin 
and grace, the prayers,, confessions, praises they bring 
for themselves, prepare them also to stand for others ; 
even as it is the argument of the Epistle to the Hebrews 
for Christ's priesthood, that he had passed through all 
human experiences, and knew how to pity the tempted, 
and plead for the suffering and the guilty. All experi- 
ence acquired, all the light and power of religion in them, 
all God's discipline upon them, all Christ's tuition in 
them, that they have been taught by conscious need, by 
Divine grace to pray, makes them an instructed and 
qualified priesthood, is a power in them to this very 
thing. Even as Christ has ascended into the heavenly 
places, worshiping in the presence of the Father, a 
Priest forever, not after the law of a carnal command- 
ment, but after the power of an endless life, so they in 
their place and under him, stand for others before God ; 
every Christian parent a priest for his household, offer- 
ing their daily praise, and speaking for little children, 
who, perhaps, not yet have words to tell their thanks or 
wants ; every Christian citizen a priest for his country — . 
her blessings, her troubles, her evils, all her great hopes 
and burdens, are on his heart, and he must go into the 
secret place of the Eternal to plead her case, to hold 



Church Worship. 293 

up to merciful Heaven the tremendous issues of her strug- 
gling hour ; every Christian church a holy priesthood, 
keeping its Sabbaths, lifting its hands to heaven in be- 
half of multitudes who feel or acknowledge no such 
obligation ; the Church of Christ, anointed priest of this 
sinning, suffering world, appointed to speak in its be- 
half to God, to give the thanks which it withholds, to 
implore for it a mercy it never asks, to utter the inarticu- 
late cry of all the wretched nations for light, to keep 
alive in it God's constant praise. For all things dear 
and true ; for all men ; for the church ; for your chil- 
dren; for the poor; for tears wanting a heavenly com- 
fort to dry them ; for souls fighting a hard battle any- 
where ; for the shoulders which hold up the State ; for 
the tongues which teach in church and school ; for those 
who have lost their faith ; for the prodigals who are 
burning up their hearts ; for purer manners, nobler 
thoughts, equal laws ; for the Spirit out of heaven, 
which brings life and bloom and harvest to Christ's 
vineyard ; for all blessings which the world will not 
pray for, and yet which must come in answer to prayer, 
are Christians ordained to make supplication. 

And so for praise, even more than for prayer, that 
God's mercies may not, unacknowledged, fall upon a 
world which makes no return. The receivers are often 
silent. The}^ forget God their Maker. They bend no 
knee. They sit at a thankless table. They keep no holy 
days, and from them comes no worship. But shall 
there be none for them ? Shall God have no honor ex- 
cept for such blessings as fall upon the grateful, and 
not also find those who are ready to remember and 
praise in behalf of the unthankful and the forgetful ? 

The generous heart of Paul found inspiration to wor- 
ship in what God had done for his brethren. '' I thank 
my God upon every remembrance of you, always in 
25* 



294 Church Worship. 

every prayer of mine for you all, making request with 
joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel, from the first day 
until now." It is the spirit of Christian love to feel 
gratitude for all God lets fall into the world, however re- 
mote from ourselves. All we see of God's goodness 
falling anywhere, in day or night, in the beautiful fields, 
in happy life, in all that makes men better, in every 
quiet example of goodness, of meekness under trials, of 
faithfulness under great responsibilities, in every tri- 
umph of religion— all that any creature receives of 
blessing from God, is an occasion for somebody's 
praise. And he has his priests, whose privilege it is 
and whose ofiTice, to take up the neglected duty, and 
thank hira for what he has done even for the unthankful 
and tire evil. Nicholas Ferrar, in the seventeenth century 
provided, in his house' at Little Gidding, for a per- 
petual service through every hour of the day and night 
so that whatever might happen, at all hours, in the day 
and in the dark, the voice of praise might be always as- 
cending ; that though everywhere else in the broad earth, 
there might come times when no praise should be heard, 
there might be one spot, where it should never cease. 
And so has God provided that there shall be one place 
and one people from which amidst the silence of the 
thankless, his unforgetful praise shall always rise. To 
the Church he has delegated this duty, that, as his 
priests, they may gather up and carry to his altar the 
sacrifices which the world withholds. For prayer, for 
praise alike, for man, for God, for God's honor, for 
man's sin even, does the body of Christians stand be- 
tween earth and heaven, does every church stand in a 
community, holding this priestl}^ and vicarious office 
Great and noble, and divine it is. The high priest went 
into the tabernacle in gorgeous robes. But we go into 
the holy place of God clothed upon with human wants, 



Church Worship. . 295 

bearing in there for our garment the sins and sorrows 
and wants and blessings, the thanks and prayers of 
our humanity waiting at the door. We go in repre- 
sentative of the nations that perish, of a race waiting for 
Christ's salvation, of children, and neighbors, and our 
brethren in the faith, and all the household of God. 
And so, in the very constitution of the Church, as a 
body of regenerate people, has God provided for his 
perpetual worship. All tongues may be silent, but they 
will show forth his praises. Whoever forgets God, here 
is a church organized and charged with this as its first 
function, a priesthood called, as was Aaron, to keep 
always burning the fire upon God's altars. 

Worship belongs to the Church as the bond of its 
fellowship and the organ of its spiritual development 
and increase. This is its fellowship — a fellowship in 
w^orship. When the Church ' comes together in one 
place it is for this. E'othing is so near a spiritual union, 
nothing is so productive of it, as that which unites men 
in the same prayers and praises. Nothing requires 
them to be of one mind, no creed or establishment can 
make them one, like coming before the same God, in one 
service of devotion. Nothing, more than this, promotes 
the sympathies as well as the religious experiences 
which are the common bond of unity in the Church. 
But it is not love only, and the sympathetic sentiments, 
but all religious life which is nourished by worship. It is 
the appointed minister to all spiritual edification. It is 
the grand public ordinance for instruction and for all 
religious culture and quickening. It touches the spir- 
itual life of the Church on all sides, to purify and 
strengthen. It not only operates upon it in the way of 
impression, as external stimulus, but especially in social 
worship, in which many have part, all religious feeling 



2^6 . Church Worship. 

and thought goes into active exercise."^ There are more 
private methods of spiritual culture, and nothing goes 
before a personal and inward religion. Its secret life is 
nourished in the soul's solitary and individual com- 
munion with God. But leave all piety to this separate, 
private, solitary growth, silence preaching, close the 
churches, let Christians forsake the assembling of them- 
selves together, dry up the streams which take their rise 
under the altars of God, and where is the Church, or 
even religion itself? It w^ould exist, it would live, it 
would make its own sabbath and sanctuaries. In 
some breasts, in some strong, self-sustaining souls, it 
might grow^ and make its power felt. God's invisible 
grace would find many channels into the life of Chris- 
tians. But it is through the " means of grace," as by 
distinction we call all services of the Church ; through 
pra3^ers and hymns and sermons, through a day of 
rest, a house of God, the communion of saints, the in- 
fluences, conscious and unconscious, of public worship, 
that this secret life of piety is fed. There much of it w^as 
born. There carelessness was touched and doubt con- 
vinced. There the world lost its hold for a day, and so 
by the grace of God forever. Thither, like a sparrow 
to its nest, the heart, weary and hungry, flies, and shut 
out from the courts of the Lord is in a desert land. 
Thither, as the soul to its closet, must the Church go 
to recruit her power, for comfort, for learning, for all 
spiritual benefit. 

And the power it has within the Church is the power 
it has abroad. Worship is a part of that larger func- 
tion to w^hich Christ has ordained it, of evangelizing the 

* The relation of the Prayer- meeting to the life of the Church is close 
and vital. It supplements its more public service. It diversifies its min- 
istries of edification. It opens a branch of the subject too large for 
present consideration, but of great practical importance. 



Church Worship. 297 

world. Through such public service it comes in con- 
tact — brings Christianit}^ into contact — with the souls 
and the life of men. There may be instruction by other 
methods, and without any worship of the Church. 
There is the great domestic ordinance of household 
teaching and religion, '' the church that is in the house.'' 
There is a great influence and power of religion, leaven- 
ing human life, which comes not by observation and 
through outward ordinances. Christianity is a spiritual 
power, possessing and using many things, invisibly in- 
vading the heart of society through example, through 
books, through a thousand direct and indirect channels, 
and by mysterious movements of the Spirit of God, 
which bloweth where it listeth. But it does not seem 
to be the Divine intention, it does not seem to be even 
common wisdom, to trust it to work its mighty spiritual 
results by itself, without some special and public instru- 
ments. Religion, in one sense, only wants a soul ; it is 
faith, fear, love, and hope in that. It lives not in wood, 
though cedar be carved into a temple ; nor in stone, 
though groined into the aisles of St. Peter's ; nor in a 
worship, though it be venerable with the hoar of cen- 
turies ; but in the affections of a human soul — and there 
alone. But how does it get into men's souls, and keep 
there ? Knowledge is a thing of the mind. But society 
does not trust to its going in there by itself, through 
some m^'-sterious contagion in the air. There is the 
school, and the university, the ]press, the library, the 
lecture. These are not knowledge, bat the means and 
creators of it, without which ignorance would be the 
eternal doom of society. So the house of God, with 
Sundays, and prayers, and sermons, and hymns, is need- 
ful for religion — not for instruction only, but to awaken 
man, naturally so asleep to spiritual ideas and relations, 
to beget in his pre-occupied heart the consciousness of 



2gS Church Worship. 

divine obligation, of guilt, of an immortal existence, to 
touch it to a penitent and nobler life. Without it, re- 
ligion might live in scattered bosoms, a sporadic, and, 
at best, languid existence, but not at all as a social 
power, impressing itself upon numbers and masses of 
men, extensive, pervading, abiding in social life. Where 
there is no house of God, there is no God ; none ac- 
knowledged, regarded, obeyed ; as little of God's fear 
as of his worship ; and therefore, as much of human 
selfishness and passion, ignorance, and superstition, and 
violence, as there is little of God's praise and God's 
truth. The house of God, with its worship, is necessary 
to religion, therefore, in. both wa3'S, and in all ways, to 
its social existence and power, as it is to its more secret 
and spiritual life. The Church of God holds this as a 
great trust for society, as it does for Christ himself, and 
is ordained to the sublimest office known to human 
civilization — to order and maintain among men the wor- 
ship of a living God. For the sake of Christianity, and 
of society, purified only by its sanative energies ; for 
the sake of souls going all wrong and wretched till they 
come to God in Christ ; for the sake of that kingdom 
of light and redemption v/hich comes shining through 
the windows of churches, and heralded by the pulpits 
which publish salvation; for the sake of him whose 
blood sprinkles her altars, whose love inflames her 
praise, whose salvation is her message to all people — is 
the Church to stand in this great office of worship, the 
constituted j)riesthood, '' to offer up spiritual sacrifices, 
acceptable to God, by Jesus Christ." 

Having now this office laid upon the Church, how shall 
it be discharged ? What is the nature and style of that 
worship which the Christian Church is to offer? What 
shape does Christianity give to this institution, ancient, 



Church Worship. 299 

constant, universal, as man's faith in a living God ? 
I seem to open the question which divides Christendom, 
which has been waiting and contending through all the 
generations for its answer. Whatever minor differences 
remain, in one point, and that primary and essential, 
the whole question is settled, and settled forever. It 
must be in the spirit. Worship, which is not spiritual, 
is void ; which is not in the right spirit, is offensive. 
The spirit — not the form — ^the spirit, which builds itself 
into architecture, splendid or lowly ; which goes into 
the service, simple or grand ; which uses ancient words, 
or the fresh utterances of the hour ; which worships 
in chapel, or cathedral, in a Baptist prayer-meeting, or 
a Roman ritual — it is the spirit alone which is accepted 
or rejected. That our Lord settled so summarily at 
Jacob's well, that for Chrstians no question remains. 
In a breath, in one sublime sentence, he undermines the 
whole controversy, lifts' our relation to God, all worship, 
up above Moriah and Gerizim, out of time and place, 
into the spiritual and everlasting. God is a spirit. That 
one idea, how it goes through the earth, discrowning 
hill-tops of their sanctity, sanctifjdng all places rather 
to him; unclothing religion of its thousand forms; 
transferring it from the golden altar of the temple to 
the bosom of a bowed publican ; the Jew, the Samari- 
tan, the high-priest in his shining cloth^ the poor widow 
with her slender gift; the well, where a sinful woman 
smiles to a new vision of God, the mountain, w^hich 
trembles before the unfolding law — all distinction abol- 
ished, all place, all time, all persons, one to him who is 
a Spirit. From the nature of God to the nature of wor- 
ship, short, straight, inevitable, the inference goes. 
They must be alike. God is a Spirit ; and thc}^ that 
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 
Standing fast, then, upon the spirituality of worship 



300 Church Worship. 

as its vital law, unless worship remains a wordless 
thought, an unuttered feeling, private, and only in- 
visibly reaching after Grod — if it is to be public, asso- 
ciate, a custom — it must take form. Spirituality does 
not exclude form, and expression. If it does, there is 
nothing left but to relapse each soul into its own silent, 
private communion, and let no sign of outward worship 
be seen in all the world. But does the doctrine of 
Christ drive, of necessity, to any such ultra-spiritual 
conclusion — forbid all convocations of Christians, abol- 
ish the Lord's Day, send each man home to the solitude 
of his own prayers ? May not a time, a place, a man- 
ner, be subordinate, and yet be needful even, and re- 
quired, and produced by the true spirit of devotion ? 
May not the spiritual and the external go together, and 
the one into the other, as thought and language, as soul 
and body ? Indeed, do they not interact ; and may not 
the feeling be repressed or transmitted, choked or stim- 
ulated, encumbered or assisted, by the means employed ? 
Worship may be in the spirit, and yet may build its 
house, and gather its congregation, and smg its hymns, 
and bow the knee, and so become outward and visible. 
This, indeed, it must do, that it may serve its purpose. 
It is to be not only expressive, but also impressive. It 
is first for God, the offering of the heart to him ; but it 
is also his ordinance for us, and for a purer and higher 
life in us. It is for the individual, but not for him alone. 
It is not even for so many individuals. It is for a con- 
gregation. The church is not a private oratory. The 
individual cannot be a law to himself, as if he were the 
only one — standing when others sit ; sitting when others 
stand ; coming, going, singing, praying, after his own 
caprice, and not according to the order of a common, 
consenting service. Then worship is dissolved, and 
confusion comes. It is the Tower of Babel, not the 



i 



Church Worship, 301 

House of God, and God is made the author of confusion, 
and not of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Wor* 
ship must have an order, a manner, a time, a place, some 
form or other, in order that it may be social, and not 
private. But still, the place, the posture, the act, is not 
the worship. That must be spiritual, and of the soul. 

And, therefore, that it may be spiritual, it must be 
simple. If spirituality does not exclude some form and 
outward observances, it puts discouragement, and prac- 
tically prohibition upon all artificial, ceremonious, ritual 
worship. It disallows the very principle on which that 
Jias always been practiced, namely, that religion, reli- 
gious feeling, is to be promoted by impressions made on 
the senses, the imagination by any thing but the action 
of truth uj)on the moral nature. It favors and requires 
simplicity in all rites of worship. It may be aske4: what 
is the criterion of simplicity ? When do forms become 
excessive and hurtful ? Where is the limit ? I^j^ere a 
line, beyond which spiritualitj^ is imperiled ; within which 
it is preserved ? 

It is safe to say that they exceed, when the}^ attract 
the mind to the form and divert it from the truth ; when 
they are not natural and spontaneous suggestions and 
helps of feeling, but sought out and contrived for effect, 
elaborate, artificial, antiquated, remote from the real and 
present feeling of the worshipers ; when they are fixed, 
traditional, inelastic ; when millinery and gilding and 
show take the place of the Word which is a fire and 
a hammer ; when they tempt the mind to stop, to rest 
in them, instead of taking it up to God. There is a 
line which practically divides ceremonious, ritual, liturgi- 
cal, formal worship, from that which is free, spontaneous, 
simple, spiritual ; broadly, the Catholic from the Protes- 
tant ; more closely, the priestly from the congregational, 
the ceremonial from the puritan, the liturgical from the 
26 



302 Church Worship. 

extemporaneous. And we set our faces against forms 
and toward freedom, simplicity, spirituality. '' For we 
are the circumcision which worship God in the spirit, 
and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in 
the flesh. '^ 

In the first place, the gospel prescribes no form. 
That everybody allows. There is no sign of any order, 
or ceremonial, or dress, or written and repeated prayer, 
of uniformity, or establishment of worship — nothing but 
freedom and simplicity. There are two simple sacra- 
ments. There are signs of a Lord's Day of joyful praise. 
But no liturgy, no order. Indeed of the prayers of our 
Lord and of the apostles — none are repeated ; but each 
one sprung out of the occasion. They were not repeti- 
tions of previous prayers, nor were thej^ designed to be 
repeated. What is called the Lord's Prayer is given in 
different forms of phraseology; the context indicates 
that i^jvas a prayer to be offered in secret ; it is ex- 
pressly given as a specimen of that simple spirituality 
which is opposed to vain repetitions and heartless for- 
malities ; and there is no sign that it was in public use, 
in the age of the Apostles, or of their successors. And 
as Christ and his Apostles established no form, so the 
JSTew Testament gives no right to anybody to do this, to 
fix worship and stereotype it, to prescribe praj^ers any 
more than sermons, to lay upon the people of God an 
unvarying, canonical order. Its whole spirit is against 
the assumption of a right to fasten upon the Church forms 
of dress, of action, of prayer, which, however antiquated 
or outgrown, or unsuitable to new times, and the varia- 
ble conditions of men and of society, cannot be altered. 
Indeed, if any form could have been devised which' 
would, on the whole, have been so perfectly adapted to 
human nature as universally and always to promote 
pure, spiritual worship, our Lord and his Apostles would 



Church Worship. 303 

not have been likely to leave it unwritten and unknown. 
The omission is clearly intentional, that the Church might 
be free.''' Moreover, if the clergy are competent for any 
thing, for their office, to preach, why not to pra}' ? If 
they can be left to teach the people of God, whj^ not to 
lead their devotions, free to adapt sermon, and prayer, 
and reading of Scripture to the occasion ? 

The liturgies of the Church, the written prayers of 
her fathers and saints, are a rich and blessed legacy, a 
fund of spiritual impulse and instruction. They can 
be used freely, wisely, as all other productions of good 
men. The clergy need to draw from them. But when 
thej are enforced upon the church, and men are obliged 
to pray after fixed forms, and by a rubric, then there 
is an assumption of power, an invasion of Chris- 
tian liberty somewhere, which belongs to none under 
Christ himself. Neither are they all so scriptural, pure, 
and edifying. They come from darker ages, and are 
mixed with much which an enlightened spirit must dis- 
criminate or refuse. They were adopted because so 
many of the clergy were unfit to perform religious wor- 
ship without a book. The English liturgy, which is 
one of the best, is an expurgated edition of the Romish 
missals and breviaries, accommodated to the contro- 
versies and half-reformed prejudices of the times of 
Henry YIII. To use it, to use all liturgies in a 
wise Christian liberty, is one thing ; but to be obliged 

^' " These omissions present a complete moral demonstration that the 
apostles and their followers must have been supernaturally withheld from 
recording a great part of the institutions and regulations which must, in 
point of fact, have proceeded from them — withheld on purpose that other 
churches, in other ages and regions, might not be led to consider themselves 
bound to adhere to certain formularies, customs, and rules, that were of 
local and temporary appointment; but might be left to their own discretion 
in matters in which it seemed best to Divine wisdom that they should be 
60 ML"—Whatehj, Kingdom of Christ, d. 29, Am. Ed. 



304 Church Worship. 

to use it, and every syllable of it witli slavish repe- 
tition, is quite different and not reasonable at all. 

The tendencies and dangers and effects of ritual wor- 
ship are not to be disregarded. The tendency, under 
the simplest form, is to stop in it, and make that wor- 
ship ; to rest and be satisfied with the outward observ- 
ance, with keeping a day sacred, and going to a place, 
and even sajdng words of worship, without gathering 
and girding up the mind to think, to embrace the truth, 
to wrestle with the Invisible and Eternal. And this 
tendency, so natural, so strong, the less spiritual, the 
more carnal the mind, is of course and inevitably 
aggravated as forms are multiplied, as they are more 
elaborate, attractive, impressive. It is a tendency not 
only to vitiate the purity and sincerity of worship, but 
to make the religions character of a people superficial 
and shallow. This is the tendency, not always the 
result. When religion is a matter of costume and eti- 
quette and ceremonial, it loses dignity and manliness, 
as it will be likely to lose its nobler and holier quali- 
ties. This is history. The Koman Church has carried 
out to the last and worst results this tendency, and 
shown, for the warning of all who love the substance 
rather than the form, to whom religion is not a social 
appearance, but the life and power of God in the soul, 
that spirituality is kept only by simplicity, that when 
the mind of a people is tickled by parades and not fed 
with truth, and so much of its worship is trivial and 
gaudy, instead of being an exercise of thought, then it 
lacks vigor and manly tone, as well as the highest 
spiritual force. And all ritualism travels the same 
road, though it may not go so far, and is liable to cor- 
rupt simplicity, and enfeeble religious earnestness, and 
have the same effect that attention to surfaces and 
shows instead of realities has in every thing else. 



Church Worship. 305 

Simple, unritual, spiritual worship belongs to an 
advanced stage of thought and character, to the intel- 
lectual and spiritual manhood of the race. Pictures 
and pageants are for children ; men put awa}^ childish 
tilings. As general education prevails, society- drops, 
in courts, in assemblies, in social life, the elaborate ce- 
remonials, the stately etiquette, the outward and gaudy 
show of earlier and less intelligent times, when such 
things had their significance and use. The pageants of 
chivalry disappear with a more mature civilization. 
And wh}^ keep them in the Church after they are 
dropped elsewhere ? 

It is claimed, that taking men as thej are, human 
nature as it is, a simple, naked, austere worship, will 
not affect them ; that as it was with the Jews, so always 
on account of the hardness of men's hearts, to accom- 
modate the low, unspiritual nature, there must be a 
ritual of outward pomp, such as will captivate the 
senses and the imagination ; that with the mass of men, 
with their inert minds, art is necessarj^, something 
besides simple truth, prayers made for them, symbols 
to impress them, outward helps and incentives. But is 
the race to be kept in childish ways forever ? To make 
the young bird fly, throw it into the air, let it use its 
wings and help itself. A religion of forms, invented to 
attract men by display, because simple truth has not 
enough power, will keep them in intellectual infancy, and 
suppress when it ought to stimulate. The form will hide 
the truth rather than reveal it. Like the pagan's idol, 
it will take the place of God. 

A simple, free, unritual worship belongs to American 
society, and is most congruous with our republican 
spirit, with the liberty which is the animating breath 
of our institutions, with the habits and life of a people 
brought up as we have been. We have cast away the 
26* 



3o6 Church Worship. 

old clothes of darker ages, and of the life of prescrip 
tion across the sea. Society here takes a new form and 
a freer life. 

'^Ilere the free spirit of mankind at length casts its last fetters off." 

Why need it retain th^ rituals congruous to monarch- 
ical institutions, which were born of the union and 
subjection of the church and the state, and put religion 
into moulds cast for it in times less enlightened, and 
among people driven and led by rulers, by kings, and 
bishops, instead of allowing it the freedom and simpli- 
city of our popular institutions, which is the spirit of 
the gospel itself? The people abroad grow weary of it, 
and groan being burdened. They sigh for this free 
air, where religion is not a prescription, but the belief of 
the voluntary and enfranchised soul. Shall we now 
turn back, and desire the yoke of bondage ? Rather let 
our religion be like our government, our education, our 
popular life. Let it be free to cast itself into its own 
shapes ; let its worship be simple, unpretending, fresh 
with the breath of the present hour, unhampered by 
tradition, unencumbered with formalities. 

To the Church, then, is intrusted this sublime and 
holy function of worship ; and to it also, is committed 
the unspeakable responsibility of making it worth^^, 
consonant with the gospel, acceptable to God, effective 
for its divine ends, of keeping it uncorrupt, free, spi- 
ritual. 

To us, my brethren, according to the light we have, 
it is given in our day to stand for its liberty, simplicity, 
and spirituality. Men will, as always, run after a gaudy 
and taking style of religious manifestation. Causes 
are at work in our society to draw certain classes of 
mind after a worship more imposing and ceremonious 



Church Worship. 307 

than that we have received of our fathers, and learned 
of Christ. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith 
without wavering. '' We are the circumcision, which 
worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus, 
and have no confidence in the flesh.'' 

Be not alarmed or discouraged at temporary recessions 
towards formalism ; as if time were turned back towards 
its immature and childish beginnings ; as if mankind 
were not prepared for higher spiritual attainments, and 
must be kept under a Judaic discipline. Be not ashamed 
of the simple, plain way in which we worship God, nor 
think it best to win men by even doubtful measures, or 
a more dramatic and taking style of Sunday service. 
Better that men stay away than come to receive stones 
for bread, or fall under influences false and corrupting 
to their faith. Do not be afraid that the people will 
ran away from you, and therefore try gilded baits to 
lure them. Truth has a long run and will win in the 
end, only hold it fast. It will work itself clear, and 
show at last that it needs no adventitious adorning, 
nothing purer, more beautiful, mightier than itself It 
will justify itself and you, only be faithful and patient, 
and hold it in love. Having begun in the spirit, it is 
not for us to be made perfect by the flesh. After we 
have known God, or rather are known of God, why 
turn back to weak and beggarly elements whose use is 
gone, whose use is bondage ? 

The style of worship in all the unliturgical churches 
might be much improved. That is sure. The same 
thought is not given to the prayers as to the sermon, 
and therefore, the worship becomes secondary, an un- 
written liturgy by repetition. The singing is apt to be 
too fine and artistic by contrast, while the rest of the 
service is careless, low, not tuned to the loftiest strain. 
The congregation is left passive, and the poor preacher 



3o8 Church Worship. 

has the hard task of playing upon them by his single 
hand to draw out their emotion, without the accessories 
of pictured walls, and dim religious lights, and the 
sensuous appliances of ritualism. It seems as if the 
Scriptures were more intelligibly read by one man to the 
congregation, than for the whole congregation to be re- 
peating them together, some in whisper and mumble, 
some high, some low ; now the minister, a verse which is 
heard, now the congregation, a verse which is not heard. 
But yet if the congregation could have some part more 
positive than hearing, it would seem to be of advantage. 
Giving the service of song to them is right in theory, 
and ought to be made impressive in practice. There 
is room for improvement in all the externals of our 
worship. But it is a purer, larger, warmer religious 
spirit and life which after all is the greatest improve- 
ment, making itself felt as a cleaner, brisker, milder 
atmosphere does, the nobler feeling making for itself a 
nobler form, rather illuminating, consecrating, vivifying 
any form. Without that, the simplest form, the holiest 
rite, is dead, being alone. It is the letter which killeth, 
the spirit giveth life. Whether is greater the gold, or 
the temple that sanctifieth the gold ? the day, the house, 
the music, the posture, the congregation, or the rever- 
ence, the faith, the aspiration, the communion with God, 
which makes here or there, any place the house of God, 
the gate of heaven ? 



XIY. 
BAPTIST CHURCH HISTORY. 

By EBV. E. J. W. BUCKLAND, 

Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, New York. 
" Call to remembrance the former days.'- — Hebrews x. 32. 

The events of the past do not become histoiy by 
being simply recorded. Characters that have filled 
their day with excitement, are only men of straw, their 
garbs of greatness, but stuffed stage gear ; the scenes of 
their lives, but painted stage scenery; their toils and 
sulferings, only an idle show ; unless they take hold on 
men's hearts in all time, and teach us how to live and 
die, to be heroic, to be Christian now. When this is 
done, the narrative of the past becomes history. It has 
a philosophy. It has an immortal life in it. It has 
power upon the hearts of men, that cannot die. 

Even the word of God, if it were merely a record of 
past events, w^ould be powerless : but it proves itself to 
be the inspiration of the Almighty — a living, a divine 
book — by its undying hold on men's lives, ruling and 
saving them. Church history ought to stand next to 
the divine word in this living control of the human 
heart ; but instead, it is acknowledged to be far below 
mere secular history, in interest and power. And the 

(309) 



3IO Baptist Church History. 

reason is plain. The true key of church history has 
not been found, and hence its living power has not been 
experienced. 

It has been written as the dry annals of the dead 
past. It has been written in behalf of a worldly hierar- 
chy. It has been written on the theory that the preva- 
lent is of necessity the true ; and on the principle of 
development, which leaves the faith once delivered to 
the saints far behind, as an embryo state. But it has 
not been written as the history of a life and faith and 
church completely set forth in the New Testament, 
whose spirit takes living hold on men of ever^^ age, 
surrounding them with, its cloud of witnesses and 
moving them with the power of an endless life. Indeed 
it could not be so written, because that life has not 
been rightly discerned in the church — because its con- 
stitution has been violated ; its order perverted ; its 
faith destroyed ; and its two witnesses cast out as dead, 
arid trampled under foot of men. 

The splendors of a hierarchy, or the grandeur of a 
national establishment, or the poison of a traditional 
dead faith and worldly philosophy, have had controlling 
influence over the minds of European historians, and 
have moulded their labors according to such false ideas 
of the historic plan. Tliey have built one upon an- 
other, and not upon the only foundation which was 
laid by Christ. They have tested their building, stage 
after stage, by these models, and not by the open word 
and pattern which Christ gave ; and so, despite their great 
talents, and wonderful labors, they have neither shown 
us the church of Christ, nor traced its history. 

A better hope is kindled in our land and day, because 
we are far removed from the enslaving trammels of 
these false principles ; because God's two witnessing 
Testaments have arisen to new life ; and because his 



Baptist Church History. 311 

cburch, coining nearer to her promised land, can better 
look back over all her journey through the wilderness. 
Already a new influence is felt both by the European 
scholar who comes to our shores, and by him who has 
been nurtured in the air of civil and religious liberty. 
The time seems to have come when the history of God's 
church can be written in the light of God's word. 

With that word open before us as our guide, our pat- 
tern, and our law, in this great realm of study, two 
questions only will occupy us in the present discourse ; 
— Have Baptists a history ? and if so, What, in its brief- 
est outline, is that history ? 

I. Have Baptists a History ? 

Prejudice and passion have always answered No. His- 
torians, whose names and works fill a large space in the 
eyes of the world, have concealed their distinctive prin- 
ciples, when to name them would give them praise ; and 
have held them up to the gaze of men, when dishonor 
and shame could be attached to them. They have thrust 
them aside into the purlieu of heresies and sects ; ascribed 
their origin to fanatics ; traced their lineage by commo- 
tions and uproars. They make them the offspring of 
darkness and the pit ; their growth, the mushroom of the 
night ; their principles, the dreams of wild enthusiasts ; 
their forefathers, unlettered visionaries and madmen. 
Thus they have been '' made as the filth of the world, the 
offscouring of all things unto this day." There is hardly 
a conceivable crime against God or man which has not 
at some period been afl^ixed to them. Holding those 
fundamental truths which, like their Divine Leader, are 
holy, harmless, and undefiled, they have been accused of 
all uncleanness and lasciviousness. Worshiping the 
Lord in the beauty of holiness, they, like him, have been 



312 Baptist Church History. 

branded with blasphemy. Exemplifying the meekness 
of unresisting piety, and uncomplaining suffering, and 
going forth on missions of peace and love, bearing the 
pure light of civil and religious liberty through the dark 
night of the past, they have been characterized as arro- 
gant and lawless ; the subverters of all government ; 
the destroyers of public peace ; the foes of human 
society ; the very apostles of unbridled anarchy, lust, 
and crime. 

From the time when Christ walked the earth, down 
to the present, there has not been a period in which 
they have not suffered persecution. From the age of 
John the Baptist to the massacre in Jamaica, bigoted 
religionists and governments have not ceased first to 
slaughter, and then to slander them. The mightiest 
powers on earth have expended their strength to crush 
them ; but, prostrated beneath the heel of tyrants, they 
have been a spectacle worthy of angels and men. The 
haughtiest hierarchy the world has known, command- 
ing the resources of subservient kings, has endeavored 
to uproot them from the face of the earth ; but they 
have lived and multiplied under its anathemas. Its 
whirlwinds of hate have only scattered them as the 
seed of the kingdom ; and they have sprung up far and 
wide anew, to exhaust its malice and power. Calvinists, 
Lutherans, and Papists, have alike abhorred them, 
burned them, cursed them. All three have left their 
mutual contentions, and leagued together to destroy 
them.* 

Through a great part of history, their existence, 
principles and numbers, are known to us only by the 
testimony of their foes. Everj'- writing of their own 
has been assiduously destroyed. It was the aim of 



^'- Mosbeiin's Ch. Hist, part ii. ch. 4, J 8, 



Baptist Church History. 313 

their adversaries to utterly blot out their name from 
under heaven. Their record has been literall}^ on high. 

Can such a people have a history ? The materials of 
it, through the papal night, must be drawn from the 
writings of their enemies against them. Fragment by 
fragment, it is culled from the controversies of doctors, 
the decrees of councils, the anathemas of Popes, the 
records of the Inquisition, the death sentence of civil 
tribunals. It is read by the light of the fagots that 
consumed them. 

And so a place in history is given them by such 
witnesses, but by no means A History. 

Others would not give them even a place. While 
embittered enemies perpetuate their name and their 
faith, others, following the milder principle of Fleury,* 
who would pass in silence and bury in oblivion that 
which mars the smooth career of the Komish Church, 
lest the statement of false opinions should contribute 
to perpetuate them, have quietly ignored them ; and as 
Charles the Fifth buried Baptists alive in the Nether- 
lands, so have these tried to bury Baptist history alive. 
But it rises again, and confronts them at history's 
judgment seat, the bar of impartial posterity. 

Rome, with all her bitterness, proves in this less un- 
kind, and with all her bigotry, more honest than many 
modern writers, who claim to be loving, impartial, and 
evangelical. Her writers state the tenets of our fore- 
fathers while they condemn them ; but many Protestant 
historians make such partial and loerverted statements 
as conceal our distinctive principles : or, if the Baptist 
Church is admitted into their family of churches, it is 
regarded as the base-born child of shame. 

Such obloquies have too long had their influence on 



*" Floury, Premier Discours, | 5. 

21 



314 Baptist Church History. 

tbe Christian world. We fear they are having influence 
on writers of our own, and even leading them to con- 
cede that Baptists have no place in the great history of 
the church, except only in modern times. 

Such concessions can never be allowed. We cannot 
accept a place in the catalogue of sects, or broken 
schismatical fragments of God's church ; nor can we 
give up our part in the glorious past, and settle down 
contented among the denominations that have arisen in 
modern times. 

We claim not only a place in history, but \4 History^ 
A History of the Church of God. 

Holding to the faith. once delivered to the saints, to 
the word of God and the law of Christ as our sheet 
anchor, we claim that when the History of the Church 
shall be written in the light of God's word, it will be, in 
the noblest and truest sense, our history. There has 
been great error, in tracing the lineage of our faith sim- 
ply as a sect or division, running parallel with general 
church history, through all ages. While much truth has 
thus been reached, this method falls short of reaching 
the whole truth. We are by no means to apply the 
secular idea of historic descent to the church of God. 
It is perpetuated not in a natural lineage. It descends, 
not from father to son through human generation, but 
from faithful soul to faithful, by a divine affiliation. 
And this, too, in such a way that each draws his life, 
not from those who have gone before him, but each in a 
higher, truer sense, directly from Christ alone. In a 
sense, all God's children are truly autochthonous. JSTone 
are their fathers on earth, they are all brethren. And so 
the links of their history are not human but Divine. 
Their perpetuation from age to age has been of grace 
and of God. The golden line that runs through all the 
ages is the one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism. That 



Baptist Church History. 315 

which gives them unity and identity is not parentage, or 
race, or place, connecting them with the faithful before 
them ; but the Faith once delivered to the saints. 

Have Baptists then a history ? 

I answer-=»if the Faith once delivered to the saints has 
a perpetuity and a history, so that the gates of hell, how- 
ever they have seemed to prevail, yet have not prevailed 
against it — then Baptists, who make that Faith their 
law, have a history. 

If a people holding from age to age these fundamental 
doctrines — that the Bible is the supreme law of Chris- 
tians ; that personal faith in Christ gives salvation ; 
that baptism in water is the covenant of a believer with 
his Saviour; while infant baptism, and all other com- 
mandments of men, are not to rule Christ ^s followers ; 
if such a people are Baptists, then Baptists have a 
history. 

If the principle of Yincentius — quod semper, quod 
uhique, quod ah omnibus — ^is correct, and that doctrine 
which has been held always, everywhere, and by all, is 
vindicated as truth in histor}^, then are the principles 
of Baptists the great principles of history. For all 
acknowledge that this maxim is not to be taken of the 
whole body of belief, but of that which is fundamental ; 
not of the prevalent, but of the underlying, the unchang- 
ing, and unchangeable. "^ And a personal faith in the 
Lord Jesus gives salvation — all ages of church history 
being the judges. The baptism of a believer in water 
is obedience to Christ's law; the gathering of baptized 
believers together in church relations, to be ruled by 
the word of God, and to maintain Christ's ordinances, 
is his command — all ages of church history being the 
judges. 

* Stanley, Eas4;ern Church, p. 69. 



3i6 Baptist Church History. 

A people holding such principles, so far from being 
unhistorical, must be recognized as resting on the funda- 
mental principles of historic truth. 

Oftentimes they have been a remnant, but so was 
God's Israel of old. Oftentimes they have been left 
alone in the earth, while the dominant and the preva- 
lent faith of the world was all against them, but so were 
God's churches in the days of Elijah. 

Oftentimes they have been a hidden people; but so 
was God's church when driven in prophetic vision into 
the wilderness. And so they have a history, the word 
of God being judge. 

It is the history of the Church of God, in the light of 
those great principles which w^ere made essential to it 
in the New Testament, its charter and constitution. 

It is the history of the church as Jesus Christ organ- 
ized and completed it, and gave it, by his Holy Spirit, 
an undying vitality, and an incorruptible character, to 
leaven and change all ages, but not to be changed by 
them. It is the history of the New Testament faith, 
and life, and law, and power ; and of those who main- 
tained these ; embracing the perversion of these, and 
the consequences of such perversion ; the perpetuation 
of these, and the Divine might which perpetuated them ; 
the triumph of these, and of the people who triumphed 
through them. 

II. What in its briefest outline is Baptist Church 

History ? 

The New Testament law gives us the constitution 
of the church complete and perfect, and the New Tes- 
tament prophecies give us the outline of its entire 
career. From that divine foundation we cannot turn 
aside. If we should, we must accept the authority of a 



Baptist Church History. 317 

traditional faith, and a worldly development; and we 
should find ourselves resting on the grand principle of the 
papal church, while all its errors would follow in logical 
order ; or, rebelling against papal authority without the 
word of God to guide us, we must yield to the spirit of 
a worldly philosophy, and be led into the waste of scep- 
ticism, rationalism, and moral death. 

Between these two issues choice must be made. 
Adopting God's word for our law, we have the Baptist 
Church and its history. Adopting the authority of 
human tradition, we have the Church of Rome and its 
history, with its inevitable reaction from absolutism 
into rationalism. 

^^"0 other alternative is left us. 

To God's word then we turn, and learn the founding 
and organizing of that body of Christ, whose history 
through the ages is to be the fullness of him who filleth 
all in all. The New Testament gives us the church 
complete. The stone cut out of the mountain with- 
out hands, needs no modern workman's tool to add an 
after-finish of higher beaut}^ The New Covenant, writ- 
ten in the hearts of a people who are each personally 
taught of God, and have each a living faith, and who, 
from the least of them to the greatest, all know the 
Lord, has been once divinely sealed, and no man need 
am,end or improve it. Su^rely it is enough to make this 
our model, and live and walk and act in Christ's 
church, as he himself lived and taught with his apos- 
tles. If not, who will show us a more excellent way ? 

1. The first or formative 'period of Church History is 
that of the Apostolic Church. 

In this, Christ is the central figure, its head and life 

and light. In his advent, the fullness of time was come, 

and the kingdom of heaven set up. By him, the nucleus 

of the church was gathered and fed and taught. Its 

2t^ 



3i8 Baptist Church History. 

laws and ordinances were given it by himself. By his 
atoning blood, he cemented its structure, and fixed its 
foundations deep on the everlasting love and purpose 
of God. 

The spiritual power which should be its means of 
growth was imparted to it by him; and all its order and 
symmetry were unfolded by inspired apostles, guided by 
the Holy Spirit, so that when the labors of the apostles 
were ended, Christ's church was complete in every essen- 
tial requirement for all time. Then he sealed up its 
divine charter, never to be added to nor taken from, 
and sent it forth upon its earthly mission. And no age 
nor exigency has shown the need of a new feature in its 
constitution, or shape, or spirit, which the church had 
not when the volume of inspiration closed. Thus the 
history of the Apostolic Church is, in no true sense, 
rudimentary or incomplete, and after ages have added 
literally nothing to the church, except that, by its own 
inherent living, power, and growth, it spreads more and 
more widely to fill the worM. 

This apostolic period shows us, in the life and labors 
of Christ and his apostles, the source and organic de- 
velopment of the church : in their teachings and writ- 
ings, its inner life, and the development of its doctrine ; 
while lastl}^, in their prophecies, we have given to us 
the errors and corruptions which should assail it, and 
an outline of those mighty events which were to mark 
its progress through time, and a glimpse of the glories 
to which it should at last arrive. 

Was the Apostolic Church Baptist ? 

I reply that as regards modern names, sects, and 
divisions, there were none. Christ's seamless mantle 
had not yet been rent in twain. But the realitj^ of a 
perfect Baptist church was there ; and ever since have 
our churches made it their pattern, and their first 



Baptist Church History. 319 

obligation is to conform to tliis God-given ensample. 

^ ^ ^ JjC Jjt JjC JJC 

Every church planted by the apostles was such, and 
the Christian world knew none beside. 

As we leave this glorious period, and look forward 
over the lapse of time, we see three remaining periods of 
history delineated in the iSTew Testament prophecy. 
The Church of God — the woman clothed with the sun — 
flees into the wilderness to escape from her great enemy.* 
For twelve hundred and sixty prophetic days,f she re- 
mains hidden in the wilderness and persecuted; and 
for the same length of time, God's two witnesses,! the 
sacred Scriptures, either prophesy in sackcloth, or lie 
slain in the streets of the Mystic Babjdon, while Anti- 
christ triumphs. At last the two witnessing Testaments 
rise filled with the spirit and power of God, and are 
exalted to the highest dominion and glory ;§ and the 
church comes up out of the wilderness ; while the king- 
doms of this world are given to the Son of Man. Thus 
prophecy shows us, as the second period, the church 
driven into the wilderness; as the third, the church 
hidden in the wilderness ; and as the fourth, the church 
coming up out of the wilderness. 

2. The second period, or that following the Apostolic, 
is one of trial and suffering, and also of corruption and 
decay. Its thorough understanding is of unspeakable 
importance. 

The Christian faith had been widely spread; churches 
of believers gathered in the chief cities of the Roman 
empire, and above all in Rome itself, before the imperial 
power was turned against the rising superstition. As 
early as A. D. 45 or 50, there is good proof that Chris- 

* Rev. xii. 6-14. f Rev. xii. 14. :j: Rev, xi. 3-8. J Rev. xi. 11. 



320 Baptist Church History. 

tianity reached the shores of Britain.* There it flour- 
ished longer in purity than elsewhere. Each church 
was an independent Cor,f or congregation ; its authority 
lay, not in the pastor, but in the body ;J a holy mem- 
bership was sought ; no trace of infant baptism can be 
found, but the streams of England were consecrated by 
the burial in them of believers in the likeness of the 
Saviour's death. These characteristics of the British 
churches were not wholly lost until they were driven in 
the western mountains by the Saxons. 

In the Boman empire generally, persecution soon 
began. Then, as related by Pliny and Justin Martyr, 
Christians met together on the Lord's Day at dawn, in 
secluded places, for worship, praise, and prayer, § cove- 
nanting with each other to live in meekness and holi- 
ness, and gathering around the Lord's table in a brother- 
hood of love. Those who came to join with them were 
taken after prayer and fasting to a place where there 
was water, and baptized. || Each church regulated its 
own affairs as an independent body ; each chose its own 
bishop, or pastor, and deacons. Its members were all 
believers, giving evidence of a holy life. 

The young and unconverted were taught as catechu- 
mens, waiting for evidence of faith before putting on 
Christ in baptism. All the Christian world was Baptist, 
one wide brotherhood of believers. As early as the death 
of John, the beloved disciple, Christianity had spread 
from the cities to the villages, from the villages to the 
hamlets and farm-houses of the country. Heathen tem- 



-'• Gildas refers to Tiberius Claudius of Stillingfleet, Orig. Brit, and the 
Triads. 

t Nennius, edit, bj Giles, Pref. p. 24, note. 

J Bede Eccles, Hist, Bk, ii., ch. 2, 

2 Justin Mar. Apol, || C Plinius Trajano, Ep, xcvi. 



Baptist Church History. 321 

pies were deserted, and multitudes of all classes turned 
to Christ.* 

Two things especially awakened persecution; the 
clamors of heathen priests whose sacrifices were de- 
serted, and the uncompromising faithfulness of believ- 
ers. Had Christians temporized, had the}^ recognized 
the heathen worship, while holding their own, there would 
have been no persecutions. Their firmness caused their 
faith to be styled a depraved superstition and infiexible 
obstinac}^ ^^ This brought,'^ said Julian, ''the execra- 
tion of the world upon them, and aroused the hatred of 
the priests and populace.'' If any evil occurred, in city 
or countr}^, by land or sea, it was ascribed to them ; if 
flood or fire, famine, plague, or earthquake came, the 
blame was laid on them, and the people clamored for 
their blood. f They met death with inconceivable courage 
and joy ; they went in triumph to the wild beasts and the 
fires. When they might escape by silence, they avowed 
themselves Christians; when their numbers would have 
overawed persecutors, they refused to resist, but died, 
like Christ, praying for their enemies. 

Persecution promoted piety and spread the faith. But 
when, afterward, it ceased, or men avoided it, evils came 
in — degeneracy and decay. 

Let us trace this dark history of decay. 

The ISTew Testament prophecies flow in one grand 
channel, and their burden is the fortune of God's 
church. They dwell upon corruptions and apostacies. 
False prophets must arise ; love wax cold ; oflTence, ha- 
tred, and betrayal come. Wolves were to invade the 
fold ; antichrists to come ; and the mystery of iniquity 
to rise in the church. False teachers, covetous, boast- 
ers, lords over God's heritage, were to bring in dam- 

^ Plin. Epis. 96. f Tertullian, Apology, 



322 Baptist Church History. 

nable heresies, h3^pocris3^, formality, envy, and strife. 
Fables and traditions were to usurp the place of God's 
word ; celibacy and fastings to be enjoined ; until the 
church should lose her spirituality and incur the frown 
of God. The woman, through the fear of persecution, 
flees into the wilderness, a waste moral desert, a state of 
drought and decay of spirituality — the same wilderness 
in which, afterward, the harlot Rome is seen to arise with 
apostate glories. Here is where the stream of Baptist 
history is first checked, and much of its life and power 
lost, flowing down into the stagnant morass of papacy. 
All the evils of the Romish apostacy, all the errors of 
the Christian world, came first by repeated corruptions 
of the faith of Baptist churches. Men turned aside from 
it, and step by step went into apostacy ; men added to it, 
and so built up a worldly hierarchy. All this was done 
by forsaking the faith and order of God's church, as the 
I^ew Testament teaches it, and as Baptists hold it. The 
steps of that progress are many and plain, and began 
even in the days of the apostles. Persecution checked 
them; but when it was removed, the evils abounded. 
To trace them, or even to indicate them all, would ex- 
ceed the limits of this discourse. 

Among them must be named the chief. And first — 
not in time, but in influence — was the baptism of babes. 
The steps of its rise were these : as baptism was the 
profession of a new life, it came to be regarded as im- 
parting a new life itself, and was held to be a saving 
ordinance. Hence, many believed that their children 
would perish unless they were baptized, and sought it 
for them. This drew forth the rebuke of Tertullian. 
But, in an after age, the doctrine of original sin was so 
held as to doom babes to eternal death ; and Augustine, 
pressing this theory, demanded that all infants must be 
baptized, else they would burn with the devil in eternal 



Baptist Church History, o2-> 

fire.* Such was the logical ground for the practice 
But, were the churches in his day pedobaptist ? Let 
facts answer. Not a writer of that day, whose name 
has come down to us, was baptized in infancy. Auo-us- 
tine, Paulinus, Jerome, Ambrose, Martin, Severus, Gre- 
gory, all were baptized in mature years on profession 
of faith. Besides, the order of Catechumens, embracino- 
the unbaptized youth, still existed in full force. Infant 
baptism existed, but was not prevalent, and Augustine 
would make it so. Here begins that departure from a 
living faith, which has blighted God's church ever since 
Previous to this, Christian life decayed. Men tem- 
porized with their persecutors, while others protested 
against it ; and thus a division arose ; the Donatists 
demanded a faithful, spiritual church membership and 
would not commune with the time-serving and worldly 
party, which was most numerous. In reply it was ar- 
gued that the Catholic Church was one outward body 
into which all must come or be lost. From this arose 
the germs of the papacy, and the supremacy of Rome 
When argument failed, force was used, and the civil 
power was employed to compel the pure-minded to con- 
form to a worldly church. Augustine demanded that 
those who would not, should be persecuted, banished 
and slain.f ^ Thus were planted the germs of the papal 
tyranny and the Inquisition. At the same time, the 
haughtiness of human authority was asserted over the 
faith of Christians.. Humble piety was despised. Aris- 
totle's philosophy was more valued than Christ's teach- 
ing. Mighty doctors lorded it over God's heritage not 
caring for the flock, and prostituted their powers in 



* Augustine, Op. Imp. iii. 199; Wiggers, August, and Pelag., p. 74 



324 Baptist Church History. 

bitter debate, and advocacy of fasts, vigils, asceticism, 
and superstition.* With the influence of great names, 
came in the dominion of bishops, and the civil authority 
was used for building and ruling the church. The 
pagan population was turned to Christianity by engraft- 
ing heathen ceremonies upon Christian ordinances, and 
the church made one vast compromise with heathenism. 
Thus, by steps like these, did God's church, with all 
her external grandeur, go into the wilderness, and the 
eye of the historian sees little but a waste of spiritual 
decay and death. Where then was the line of Baptist 
history ? Not in any one pure church. Here was the 
wreck of Baptist churches everywhere. But had not 
God foretold that it should be so ? The history of the 
Baptist faith embraces that of an apostacy, and of the 
rise of Antichrist. A pure faith is to be discerned only 
in its vestiges and scattered fragments. Under the 
gilded rubbish an holy people are yet to be found. In 
Africa, the barbarian invasion swept away the iDOwer 
of a worldly church, but humble Christian bodies 
abounded and flourished. In the Alps and Pyrenees, 
humble, faithful churches abounded. f Sweeping across 
central Europe, went a tide which left Christ's lowly 
followers to live in peace. Baptism was still the burial 
of a believer in water in likeness of Christ's death. 
Though sprinkling had arisen, it never prevailed. Con- 
gregations of believers, rejecting infant baptism, and 
worldly authority, still met as of old, drawing their faitb 
and life from Christ's word and Spirit. But they were 
scattered fragments of the wreck, mostly hidden from 
the eye of man. 



* Hieron, Epist. Cont. Vigilantium Gillies' Vigilantius. 

f Peyrat, Hist, de Vigilance, ch. vi. Allix, Chs. of Piedmont, passim. 



Baptist Church History. ^2^ 

3. The third period is that of the Church in the 
wilderness, hidden from the face of the Serpent : — the 
remnant of God's seed. 

Rome throws out the taunting challenge ; '* where 
was 3^our church before Luther?" She was where God 
said she would be — where his chosen ones were in the 
days of Elijah. Now, as then, God had reserved to 
himself a seed, a remnant,* a lineage of faith. The light 
had not utterly gone out, nor the gates of hell wholly 
prevailed, though to human judgment it might seem 
so. But so it seemed in his day, to Elijah ; so it seemed 
in the Babylonian captivity ; so it seemed to the disci- 
ples, when their Lord was crucified. 

The northern invasion sweeping over the Roman 
Empire caused a long age of confusion and change ; 
but there were those widely scattered in the East and 
the West, who held to the faith and word of Christ, 
practicing his ordinances and rejecting the command- 
ments of men ; and after ages were destined to bring 
them to light. The rise of the Paulicians shows a 
biblical faith in the East.f In the West, the Welsh were 
driven into their mountains, there to preserve for ages 
a distinct faith. 

The followers of Yigilantius and Jovinian thronged 
the valleys of the Pyrenees and Alps ;J and while such 
men as Paulinus and Claude of Turin spoke aloud there 
were thousands to whom and for whom they spoke. § 
Thousands were driven by persecution from the valleys 
of Italy into France, who rejected the teachings of 
Rome and the baptism of infants, and held the word of 
God to be their only guide. || 

*Rev. xii. 17. f Neander's Ch. Hist. vol. iii. pp. 245, 247, et. seq. 

t Gilly's Vigilantius, p. 480 et seq. 

§ Biblioth Patr. Paris, 1624, vol. iv. pp. 197, 638. 

II Jones' Ch. Hist. vol. i. p. 430. 

28 



326 Baptist Church History. 

It was in sympathy with these Christians that Beren- 
garius wrote and taught. If he was not himself free 
from the trammels of Rome, those who by thousands 
held his sentiments were so : and all Normandy was 
aroused to spiritual life, and filled with Christians hold- 
ing evangelical doctrines."^ They penetrated German}^, 
and went in the train of William the Conqueror to 
England, where they found a voice in Piers Plowman, 
Chaucer and Wicklifi^e. The same doctrines had utter- 
ance in Arnold of Brescia, f 

The people holding the same faith appeared at Cologne 
in 11 40, J and it was there discovered that they existed 
in great numbers through Germany, Flanders, France, 
Savo}^, and Lombardy, claiming a distinct history back 
to the pure days of the church, § and a dissemination - 
in all countries. Their lives were conceded by their 
enemies to be honest and pure, and their faith Chris- 
tian. They made the Bible their only guide, denied 
infant baptism, and practiced that of believers upon 
profession of faith in Christ, and maintained congrega- 
tional church government. Manichean sentiments have 
been ascribed to them, for such were widely dissemi- 
nated, but it can be plainly shown that their doctrines 
were directly antagonistic to those tenets. 

It was among this people that Peter de Bruys arose, || 
who preached a long time, converting thousands, and 
teaching immersion in water upon a profession of faith ; 
rejecting infant baptism and holding the Bible to be the 

--:--Allix, Chs. of Piedmont, p. 102-110. Jones' Ch. Hist. vol. i. p. 474. 
Neander, vol. iii. p. 600. 

f Biblioth Max. Patr. Lugdu. vol. xviii. p. 437. p. 441. AUix, Albigen- 
ses, p. 133. 

J Neander, vol. iv. p. 149, et seq. 

^ AUix, Piedmont, ch. xvi. Epist. Evervini. Jones' Ch. Hist. vol. i. 
pp. 479-486. 

II Neander, vol. iv. p. 595. 



Baptist Church History. 327 

law of Christ's church. Following Peter came Henry 
of Tholouse,* his disciple, preaching the same Baptist 
faith. Baptist churches were multiplying everywhere 
under his labors in the south of France, until Rome 
seemed to have lost her hold upon that region. f Per- 
haps there were as many evangelical Baptist Christians 
then in that country as in the same extent of territory 
in our land to-da}^ It was in this same lineage of faith 
that Waldo J arose about 1160. He caused the Bible to 
be translated into the language of the people, and went 
forth to scatter it and proclaim its truths. Persecuted 
and hunted, he passed with many of his followers into 
Picardy, thence through Flanders and Germany to 
Bohemia, where he died, after disseminating God's truth 
over a great part of Europe. At the same time, spread- 
ing along the Alpine valleys, through Lombardy and 
the Tyrol, the Waldenses reached Bulgaria and Hun- 
gary. Here their colonies rested, and their numbers 
increased to eighty thousand in Bohemia alone. They 
rejected infant baptism,§ immersed believers, and made 
God's word their sole authority. || Their confessions 
from the earliest times make the ordinances to belong 
to believers only, reject all which does not agree with 
the word of God, and place baptism after a profession 
of faith and a change of life.^ Their great treatise 
against Antichrist, says : ''Antichrist teaches to baptize 
children into the faith, and attributes to this the w^ork 
of regeneration ; thus confounding the work of the Holy 
Spirit with the external rite of baptism ; and on this, 

* Neander, vol. iv. p. 598. 

f Bernard, Epist. 241. Serm. Ixv., in Cant. Orchard's Bapt. Hist. p. 188. 
J Neander, vol. iv. p. 606. 

§ Treatise on Antichrist. Also Grassern Waldensian Chronicle, p. 87". 
II AUix, Piedmont, p. 206. Keander, vol. iv. p. 611. 
^ Morland, Chs. of Piedmont p. 30, e^ aU Sleidan, book xvi. Jones 
Church History, vol. ii. p. 52. 



328 Baptist Church History, 

grounds all his Christianity."* Thistreatise is claimed 
to have been written by that eminent Baptist, Peter 
de Bruj^s, and the testimony of impartial scholars is, 
that these Albigenses and Waldenses, who can never 
be distinguished from each other, resembled most 
closel}^ the Baptists of a later day.f As to their 
numbers, it may be said that central Europe was full 
of them. They could travel through Germany and 
Lombard}^, and find a lodging each night with their own 
brethren.^ 

Such was the hidden Baptist church. Such, after the 
woman fled into the wilderness, was the remnant of her 
seed that remained, which kept the commandments of 
God, and had the testimony of Jesus, against whom the 
dragon made war. 

Such is our lineage. Errors unquestionably there were, 
diversities and mistakes, but these pertain to every age 
^nd every opinion held by man. Yet it is impossible to 
see the remarkable unity of faith, in difi*erent lands and 
times, without acknowledging that it must have come 
from one source — the Bible. The great struggle of 
God's people was toward the New Testament faith as 
Baptists hold it. Baptist principles moved the hearts 
of all these Christians, and were held, more or less 
purely, by thousands, who lived and died in them and 
for them. 

4. We come now to the fourth period, when God's 
church was to come up out of the wilderness : when the 
two witnessing Testaments were to be exalted to uni- 
versal honor and power. It comprises a period of the 



^' Leger Waldenses Gesch. p. 189. 

f Ypei and Dermont quoted in Orchard, Hist, of Bap. Introd. p. 17. 
Mosheim, Ch. Hist. Part ii. ch. iii. § 1. Limborch, Hist, of Inquisition, 
vol. i. ch. viii. 

J Perrin's Hist, des Vaudois, bk. ii. ch. xi. Jones, vol. ii. p. 157-163. 



Baptist Church History. 329 

birth throes of a new awakening to spiritual life, with 
bitter agony and long travail ; and a period of liberty 
and gospel triumph which is still widening with the 
power of the Bible over all the earth. 

It is, from Luther's time to the present, one great 
struggle toward the principles of Baptists, and an in- 
creasing acknowledgment and adoption of them as the 
soul and life of evano-elical relio-ion. 

Let us survey the field. IS'o controversy had arisen 
or was yet to arise about immersion. And with reason. 
Immersion was regarded as the natural and proper ad- 
ministration of Baptism. The Church of Rome, while 
approving sprinkling, still always taught immersion. It 
was never denied, nor did it attract attention w^hen 
practiced by heretics. Thomas Aquinas had set it forth 
in his Summa as the normal rite. The Gregorian decre- 
tals, the canon law of the church, did the same. The re- 
formers in their confessions did the same. Hence we 
need look for no controversy upon this now distinctive 
practice, in the ages before the Keformation, nor to any 
extent during its progress. 

We have seen that Germany was leavened with Wal- 
densian Baptist sentiments up to the dsijs of Luther.* 
Bohemia held thousands of Picards — cave dwellers, who, 
according to Theobald, were Anabaptists, f and whose 
confession of faith, held long before Luther's day, was 
Baptist. J Wickclifie taught the same opinions, and 
many of the Lollards held Baptist principles. 

Luther's first power was in appealing to the word of 
God alone: his own grand doctrine. Justification by 
faith alone : these had been held by thousands before 



■* Of Luther's Epist. ad Waldenses. De Bussierre, Introd. p. 22. 
f E. M. Plarii, Epideigma, p. 30. Sliedan lib, iii. p. 68. 
J Schomanni Testameutum. 

28* 



330 Baptist Church History. 

him. When he asserted, in his treatise on Liberty, 
that '' 2i Christian man is lord of all things, and in 
subjection to none," he spoke the truth which humble 
Baptists had rejoiced in for ages; and thousands of 
hearts instantl}^ responded at once. Those who had 
longed for the utterance of such truth in high places, 
hailed his appearing and flocked to him at Wittemburg. 
Among these were men from Zwickau,* who had pro- 
claimed the same truths more clearly, upon the basis of 
God's word, and who longed to have them united in by 
all. But the impetuous monk could not tolerate those 
who would go further than himself, and they were un- 
successful with Luther, yet found men of equal learning 
with him, who adopted their doctrines, f They left 
Wittemburg, some to seek in Bohemia those Picards 
who were prepared for the faith, and others to proclaim 
it in the valleys of Switzerland and the Tyrol, the haunt 
of Waldenses for ages past. Thousands were gathered 
into churches in Silesia and Bohemia by Nicholas Storck, 
Hutter, and Gabriel Scherding ;J great numbers, under 
Stubner and others in the Alpine regions. Grebel, Mantz 
and Hubmej^er arose in Switzerland. § Grebel was bap- 
tized by those who held these principles before him, 
and in turn baptized many converts himself in the 
waters of the Rhine. These were by no means ig- 
norant men. Equal to Luther and Zuingle in power 
and' learning, acquainted with the Scriptures in their 
original tongues, skilled in theology, and honored in the 

-'••' i)e Bussierre, Hist. derAnabaptisme, Introd. p. 10. E. M. Plariis Epi- 
deigma, p. 9. 

•f De Bussierre, Hist. Anabap., Introd. J 2. 

j Meshovius, Hist, Anabap. p. 23. Plarius, p. 27. De Bussierre, Introd 
p. 26. 

§ Meshovius, p, 27. 



I 



Baptist Church History. 331 

schools of theology,* they were at least the peers of 
those who would call them mystics and ecstatlcs. 

The first thing which brought upon them the oppro- 
brium of their enemies was the famous Peasant War — a 
movement which lacked only success to make it praised, 
but in which the soundest principles of justice were 
marred by a wild enthusiasm which came from another 
source. Munzer, its leader, was never an Anabaptist. 
He did not agree with them at first in Zwickau, f taught 
infant baptism long afterwards, J and the emplo^^ment 
of force in God's cause. These were the sentiments 
of Luther, § but contrary to those of the Anabaptists. 
Later, when his purposes demanded it, Munzer sought 
to identify himself more closely with Anabaptism, in 
order to reach the masses of the peasants, who in great 
numbers held|| or favored it. But he was never bap- 
tized or baptized others.^ That which was called Ana- 
baptist doctrine in him was simple Millenarianism.*"^ The 
peaceful Anabaptists held this, and sought it by peaceful 
means ; he held it and sought it by force. Many Ana- 
baptists were led away by his error, followed him, and 
after his disastrous end, scattered the same doctrine of 
force ; but it was a fundamental departure from the 
peaceable principles long held by the Anabaptists. Still 
it was enough to draw down condemnation on them 
all. 

Unable to conquer them by the word of God or by ar- 

* Meshovius, pp. 27, 46. f ^® Bussierre, p. 18. 

J Gebser, Comment, de Primordiis Anabapt. p. 9. 

II De Bussierre, La Guerre de Paysans, vol. i. p. 305. 

§ Lindanus Tabulae Haereseon. 

^ Bullinger adv. Anabap. p. 2. Gebser Comment, p. 9, note. De Bus- 
sierre, Guerre des Paysans, vol. ii. p. 311. Floremund Raemund, lib, 
ii. ch. i. p. 89. 

** De Bussierre, Hist. Anabap. Introd. Sleidan, lib. v. Varillas, HisU 
des Revolutions, lib. vi. 



2;^2 Baptist Church History. 

gument, the Zuricli magistrates employed force. They 
were imprisoned and tortured to extort confessions and 
recantations ; and when they would not yield, were 
drowned under the famous sentence — qui iterum mergit^ 
mergatur — who plunges again, let him be plunged.* 

Then the Baptists met in retired places at midnight, 
or before the break of day, to worship and baptize. 
They were called ''bathing men and bathing women. "f 
The}^ were charged with " the fanatical delusion of think- 
ing to form a church free from sin,'' because they re- 
ceived none but believers. While Luther had hansrino- 
over his head the brief of Pope Adrian, demanding his 
death, he dissuaded from persecuting them ; but when 
he was secure in the protection of the German princes, 
he advocated their destruction by force. J The Reforma- 
tion which he led, was one resting on human authority 
and arms. Men might leave the Church of Rome, but 
they must enter that of Luther. There was no liberty 
in his plan. It was the gospel enforced by the police 
and the sword.§ The Anabaptists asked for liberty to 
worship God, and notwithstanding their slaughter by 
thousands, they held fast to the authority of the w^ord 
of God alone to rule the soul. 

Great numbers of them, in Bohemia and Moravia, fol- 
lowing their doctrine of non-resistance, left home and 
lands to go into banishment for conscience' sake.^ Poland 
and the regions about were filled with Baptist senti- 
ments, and dotted with Baptist churches, whose con- 
fessions of faith declare immersion to be the only bap- 



^' Meshovius, Hist. Anabap. p. 35. 

t Faber adv. Catabapt. Raynald's Baronius, A.D. 1527, § 75. 
J De Bussierre, Guerre des Paysans, vol. i. p, 305. 
§ De Bussierre, Hist. Anabap. Introd. p. 8. Motley, Dutch Republic, 
vol. i. p. 260. 

^ Plarli Epideigma, p. 27-29. 



Baptist Church History. ^^^ 

tism, and believers, holy men and women, to constitute 
the church of Christ.* Their lineage is perfectly dis- 
tinct from that of the advocates of force. 

These also had many followers ; they practiced poly- 
gamy in some instances, f and at a later date were wild 
enthusiasts. They united the worldly principles of 
Luther as to civil power, with the Millenarian views, 
and rejection of infant baptism, of the true Baptists. 
They frequently practiced effusion or sprinkling. J These 
were men destitute of true faith, who set up their visions 
and dreams above the word of God. Connected in their 
origin with the peasant war, their influence culminated 
at length in the reign of Boccold, at Munster, in 1534. 
This arose from the fancies of Matthison, and drew to 
itself the elements of disease that abounded in the con- 
fusion of the times ; but its principles were diametrically 
opposed to those of the true Anabaptists or the Baptists 
of that day. It was enough that our forefathers believed 
in the reign of Christ on earth, to enable their enemies to 
class them with those who would take his sceptre and set 
up a kingdom of their own in his name. 

And yet the atrocities of Boccold's wild reign have 
been exaggerated, and were really no greater than those 
which marked its punishment, and Hortensius, who re- 
corded with horror, the deeds of the Munster Uproar, 
lived to see, with his own eyes, tenfold greater atrocities 
inflicted on the Reformed by the Papists, and on the 
Papists by the Reformed. § 

Far removed from this brief turmoil, which quickly 

* Ludovlci Wolzogenii Compendium Relig. Christ, p. 13. Schowmari 
Testamentum. Mosheim, vol. iv. p. 491. 

f De Bussierre, Hist. Anabap. Introd. p. 16. Thuanus, Hist. lib. L., p. 
765. 

J Floremund Raemund, lib. ii. chap. iii. § 5. Hortensius, Oproer der 
Weder-doopern, p. 20. 

g Motley, Dutch Republic, vol. ii. p. 422. 



334 Baptist Church History. 

rose and died away, the peaceful Baptists flourished in 
secret, in Bohemia, Moravia, and Poland; and afterward, 
in the Low Countries, they were blessed under the pious 
labors of Menno, and even grew amid the persecutions 
of Alva, who slaughtered far more of them than of all 
the Reformed beside. They were the first of all in heroic 
devotion to support William of Orange, with their money, 
and sympathy, and prayers, in his darkest day ; and their 
churches survived the desolations, and rose, with return- 
ing peace, to great numbers and strength. 

Here, at length, the light of peace, and civil rights and 
religious liberty dawned upon them. Their leaven had 
long before entered England, and met the spirit of religious 
liberty there. English Christians, also banished for con- 
science' sake, taking refuge in Holland, met them there. 
History, as it is unfolded, will show more connection be- 
tween them, and though both the English and the Dutch 
Baptists arose from the study of God's word, and drew 
their origin and order directly from it, and so were 
spiritually without fathers, autochthonous, we may safely 
hold that the Holland Baptists were their elder brethren 
and forerunners in the faith of Christ. 

Such were the far-famed Anabaptists of the Reforma- 
tion. They were no more mystics and ecstatics than 
many Baptists of our own land now. Some of their 
leaders were slow in reaching true views of baptism, as 
they came step by step to the truth ; but it was a bap- 
tism of believers on profession of their faith in Christ. 
Some unquestionably adopted other scriptural views 
without that of immersion ; but when they rested their 
whole order and practice on the Bible they came to it as 
the plain consequence. 

This was the birth period of bitter agony in the awak- 
ening of God's church to come up out of the wilderness. 
In it we see a Baptist biblical faith, struggling for utter- 



Baptist Church History. 335 

ance and life, underlying the Reformation ; and, as ex- 
pressive of the living principles of the word of God, 
constituting its soul, and life, and spiritual power. 

It was truly said, in that day, that whenever the Ke- 
formers would find arguments to conquer Rome, they 
used those of the Anabaptists ; and when they contended 
with Anabaptists, they were compelled to use the argu- 
ments of Rome — the authority of the church, and the es- 
tablished customs and traditions of the past. They could 
not appeal successfully to the Bible. This inconsistency 
was again and again urged upon them by Romanists, 
and it was with truth declared that there is not, there 
cannot be, any middle ground between the Baptist Faith 
and the Faith of Rome. 

The spiritual power of the Reformation lay wholly in 
those Scriptural principles which it held in common with 
us. Its elements of decay and formalism were in those 
principles which we reject. 

In one word, the long struggle of God's church against 
the overlying dominion of the Papacy has been, up to the 
present day, a struggle of New Testament Baptist prin- 
ciples for life and power. These made the Reformation, 
these will complete it. These, in their living hold on 
men's hearts, have moved, and are now moving the 
world with the power of a divine life. 

The later course of Baptist History is plain. The 
people who held this faith, once delivered to the saints, 
have multiplied, have shown it to be of God, have exem- 
plified its excellencies in promoting human welfare, favor- 
ing civil liberty, elevating the race, and advancing the 
cause of Christ. Its power has been demonstrated in the 
heathen world, turning nations to God ; and in lands 
burdened with a dead formal faith, recreating them with 
the gospel. 

All evangelical Christendom is coming up to the 



^^6 Baptist Church History. 

standard of a biblical Baptist faith, with a rapidity never 
known before. Errors, against which our fathers con- 
tended and died, are passing away, and God's two wit- 
nesses are arising to assume the dominion over human 
faith which God has decreed to them. 

May the day soon come, when God's word shall rule 
one universal church of believing souls, holding to ^' One 
Lord, one Faith, one Baptism," and when Jesus shall 
see the answer to his prayer — '' Father, I will that they 
be one 1" 



XY. 

THE RISE AND DEVELOPMENT OF SECTARIANISM 
m CHRISTENDOM. 



By WILLIAM HAGUE, D.D., 

Pastor of Shawmut Avenue Baptist Church, Boston, Massachusetts. 



" There arose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees vthich believed, say- 
ing, THAT IT WAS NEEDFUL TO CIRCUMCISE THEM AND TO COMMAND THEM TO KEEP 
THE LAW OF MOSES. AnD THE APOSTLES AND ELDERS CAME TOGETHER FOR TO CON- 
SIDER OF THIS MATTER." — ActS XV. 5-7. 

It has been aptly said by a close observer of the course 
of history, that every tidal wave of human progress en- 
folds the latent seeds of some new form of evil. The 
hour of triumph is ever the starting point of another 
conflict. If the verification of this sentiment could be 
set forth by a pen, gifted with a degree of graphical 
power worthy of the subject, it would trace the footsteps 
of humanity along the line of its weary march by the 
wrecks of institutions that had once seemed full of 
promise, plans of social reconstruction that had been 
hailed, in their day, as the harbingers of a brighter future. 
Nevertheless, in spite of these incessant retrogressions 
and apparent failures, there would be disclosed the work- 
ing of a mystery of hidden force urging the races forward 
to the realization of those divinely inspired hopes which 
were, of old, from the age of Moses to that of Malachi, 
the life of prophetic song. 

The thirty years' church history which lies before 
us, designated ''The Acts of the Apostles,^' shows that 
this same remark, which was suggested by a world-wide 

(33T) 



338 Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 

view of the progress of civilization, is verified by the 
course of events that signalizes the progress of the Mes- 
siah's Kingdom. For, at the beginning of this history, 
we find that, immediately after the wonders of the day of 
Pentecost, the little church at Jerusalem enjo^^ed for a 
time externally ^'a heaven upon earth," having the free- 
dom of the City and the Temple, and the favor of all the 
people. They were then of one heart and one soul ; of one 
accord in doctrine and practice, ''continuing steadfastly 
in the fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayers.'' 
There were sectarian divisions in the ''so-called" Jewish 
church, but none among the disciples of the crucified and 
risen Nazarene. But this moral triumph provoked the 
wrath of the government with a ruthless mob at their 
back ; and the murder of Stephen, the first martyr, was 
the signal for a hasty flight from Jerusalem, and for that 
dispersion by which the gospel was borne to the Gentiles 
in Antioch, the capital of Syria, where a strong church 
was soon gathered, where the ISTazarines were first called 
*' Christians," and where arose the first Sect that marred 
the outward form of Christian unity. That new Chris- 
tian sect is first recognized in history, in this fifteenth 
chapter of the Acts, as a germ of the Pharisaic sect of 
Judaism, transferred within the bounds of the Gentile 
Christian church, taking deep root, having a rapid 
growth, and developing its evil nature as a set antagon- 
ism to the enlarged spirit of apostolic doctrine, and to 
"the simplicity that is in Christ." This notable event 
occurred in the year 52, nearly one fifth of a century after 
the resurrection of our Lord. It caused great agitation 
at the time, and was the occasion of that General Confer- 
ence at Jerusalem, whose discussions Luke has reported ; 
a conference of Apostles, Elders, and Delegates, who 
meant to nip in the bud this rising sectarianism, which 
was left, however, with a vitality in its hidden root, that 



i 



Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 339 

afterwards overspread the face of Christendom with a 
rank Judaistic and hierarchical fruitage that has always 
flavored of the Pharisaic soil wherein it was first nour- 
ished, and whence it was transplanted, like the tares of 
which Jesus spake, ''while men slept," into the goodly 
field over which had been sown ''the good seed of the 
kingdom" broadcast from the Divine Sower's hand. 

It was the body of Gentile Christians at Antioch, 
under the leadership of Paul and Barnabas, who first 
discovered the far-reaching significance of this Christian- 
ized Judaistic sectarianism, and joined together in con- 
certed measures to arrest its spread. But far-sighted as 
they were, we have an advantage over them in forming 
an estimate of the character of the evil which they depre- 
cated ; for the lapse of eighteen centuries has furnished 
it broad scope for the unfolding of its germs, and for 
qualifying us to judge it by its fruits. The historical 
records of the iSTew Testament, extending beyond the 
year 65, furnish the true stand-point which we must 
occupy in order to read and interpret the problems of 
church history. If for these divinelj^-given records we 
substitute the sacred formularies of the early councils, 
and the sayings of the fathers " of sainted memory," as 
the primal sources of authority, we shall be logically forced 
to enthrone traditionism above the gospel ; thus doing 
the very thing which Jesus charged as a grievous wrong 
upon the authorized church-leaders of his day, when he 
said, " Ye reject the commandments of God that ye may 
keep your own tradition, teaching for doctrines the com- 
mandments of men." Held in the grasp of such an error 
at the starting point of inquiry, there will be no fair 
escape from the necessity of substituting, under church- 
sanctions, saving sacraments for the word of truth and 
a priestly prelacy for a teaching ministry. 

For, as we know, from an early period of the Christian 



340 Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 

era, prelacy has ruled the Christian nations, and still wields 
the sceptre of a predominating power. All churches (''so 
called") that do not acknowledge its jurisdiction, it 
treats as schismatic sects. It boasts of an order of 
high priests descended directl}^ from the Apostles in the 
line of valid ordination, endowed with authority, and 
qualified by special gifts for the administration of saving- 
sacraments, with power to ''bind and loose," to open 
and shut the gates of Christ's visible kingdom. Its 
claim to the honor of antiquity is no vain pretension ; 
and, when it has been made evident that authentic his- 
tory sets it forth in the process of lively growth, and even 
of mature development at a period very near the apos- 
tolic age, thousands of honest and inquiring minds have 
deemed the inference clear and irresistible that prelacy 
had an apostolical, and, therefore, a divine origin. As 
has been said by a distinguished prelatical writer: "if any 
thing can be proved by testimony, this proposition can 
be proved ; that the government of the church by dio- 
cesan bishops, and its ministry of a three-fold order, was 
an institution of the Apostles, derived from Christ, to be 
transmitted as a divine legacy, from generation to gene- 
ration, even unto the end of the world." 

If this be so, of course, none but a prelatical church 
can realize the scriptural idea of catholic unity ; and all 
churches not within its pale are but sects, guilty of schism, 
"renders of Christ's seamless robe," revolters against a 
rightful, supreme authority. 

Nevertheless, this position of the priestly prelatist, 
when examined by the light of primitive Christian his- 
tory, is seen, we think, to have been founded upon a mis- 
take ; and the character of this mistake is quite analo- 
gous to that which Dean Milman, attributes to the 
learned author of " The Decline and Fall of the Ko- 
man Empire;" a work which no gifted mind has been 



Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 341 

able to displace in spite of all its lurking scepticism. 
In pointing out the source of the speciousness of Gib- 
bon's error, Dr. Milman says, " the unfair impression 
produced, consists in confounding together in one un- 
distinguishable mass, the origin and apostolic propa- 
gation of Christianity with its later progress. The main 
question, the divine origin of the religion, is dexterously 
eluded or speciously conceded ; his plan enables him to 
commence his account, in most parts, below the apostolic 
times ; and it is only by the strength of the dark coloring 
with which he has brought out the failings and the follies 
of succeeding ages, that a shadow of doubt and suspicion 
is thrown back on the primitive period of Christianit^^'^ 
This statement of the English editor of Gibbon accords 
with the sentiment of Guizot, the celebrated French com- 
mentator on the works ; and in this connection it is in- 
structive to note the fact, that Gibbon was educated among 
English Christians of the national establishment who did, 
themselves, confound these different things and habitually 
overlook these very distinctions. His history was his 
great life-work ; and it well illustrates the effect of this 
confusion on the mind of an independent thinker. He 
had not been led to regard the jSTew Testament as the one 
simple, all-sufficient standard whereby to estimate the 
claims of Christianity, but rather, to look for that stand- 
ard in church tradition or church history. It is the same 
erroneous principle of ecclesiasticism that is now adopted 
and defended, not only by Papists, but by prelatical Pro- 
testants of various names, who teach Christianity as a 
religion that was gradually formed and developed in ages 
succeeding that of the Apostles. Hence, they are not 
satisfied with the Scripture as a sufficient guide to faith 
and practice, but look to tradition and history for the 
standard or canon by which to settle the question — What 
IS Christianity ? This principle is well adapted to raise 
29* 



34^ Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 

up other Gibbons in time to come, by throwing back 
dark shadows of doubt and unbelief over the divine 
origin of Christianity itself All men in whom senti- 
ment predominates over intellect, may be easily led by 
such a principle into the labyrinths of superstition ; 
while men of bold, inquiring spirit will bound away 
from it over the trackless wastes of infidelity. Hence, 
the principle itself, harmless as it may seem to some, is 
like the error which the ancient prophet spoke of, as 
'^ the cockatrice's egg ;" because, though so smooth and 
fair to the eye, it is capable of developing from within 
itself a twin-progeny of errors, each one armed with its 
dangerous fang and sting. 

Evidently, the Christianity of the New Testament is 
one thing ; the Christianity of traditionism or of church 
history is another. If we would judge the latter aright, 
we must find our points of view in the Scriptures them- 
selves ; for, as our Divine Master said, ''Heaven and earth 
shall pass away, but my word shall never pass away." 

In this connection of ideas it is a significant fact, never 
to be forgotten, that the authorized church of that day, 
glorying in its ancient line of an anointed priesthood, 
and its gorgeous ritualism of saving sacraments, rejected 
our Messiah, denied his teachings, and condemned him to 
death ; while he, in his discourses to the people, called 
upon them, in the exercise of ''private judgment'' and 
the rights of conscience, to judge the church by the 
standard of the Scriptures and not to judge the Scriptures 
by the standards of the church. At the time of his 
long foretold advent, instead of finding a nation educa- 
ted and prepared to welcome him, he found all the wis- 
dom of the schools, and all the sanctity of the Pharisees, 
and all the common lore of the Scribes, made subservient 
to a traditionism enthroned above the word; so that 
when he stood forth to teach he had to begin with rous- 



Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 343 

ing Tip the popular mind to an independence of its 
masters, and to appeal from the decisions of their 
Gamaliels, and the highest church authorities of the age 
in such remonstrances as these: Ye do err, not kno vying 
the Scriptures ]^ What is written in the law, how readest 
thou ?f Did ye never read in the Scriptures, The stone 
which the builders rejected, the same is become the head 
of the corner ? j Why do ye transgress the command- 
ment of God by your tradition : Ye make the word of 
God of none effect. § Search the Scriptures : they are 
they which testify of me."|| But in spite of appeals like 
these, the spirit of the old Pharisaism in the ancient church, 
which was ever on the alert to balk our Master's work, 
lived long after his ascension ; at an early period of the 
Christian era incorporated itself with forms of Christi- 
anity: and under this more modern lohase, it has sur- 
vived the fall of em]oires, the protests of dying Martyrs, 
the stormy conflicts of the Great Reformation, and even 
as of old, will ^' compass sea and land to make one prose- 
lyte." It fortifies itself within the bulwarks of a veteran 
traditionism, makes the written word of God to yield 
forced service in support of its priestly dominion, still 
warreth with the life and fire of its early youth, and is 
enthroned to-day in the high places of power through- 
out the Old World, while scheming with its pristine 
subtility fo the conquest of the New. 

And 3^et, notwithstanding its high antiquity, its his- 
torical honors, and it^ vast domain, the storvof its birth, 
the character of its genealogy, may be expressed in 
one short sentence : This was the first sect of Chris- 
tendom. 

In order to discern the nature of this sectarianism 



^'- Matt. xxii. 29. f Luke x. 26. { Matt. xxi. 42, 

g Matt. xr. 3 ; Mark. vii. 9-13. || John v. 39. 



344 Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 

more clearly, and set it forth in the light of authentic 
scriptural history, let us now proceed to do two 
things : 

I. Rehearse the account of its introduction into the 
Christian Church. 

II. Trace the development of its essential elements in 
the creeds of Christendom. 

I. In pursuing the investigation of this subject the first 
fact to be noted is, that after the ascension of our Lord, 
the conquests of Christianity were confined, for some time, 
mainly to persons of Jewish origin. But when the 
Government of Judea, irritated by this success, smote 
the church in Jerusalem with the sword of persecution, 
the host of converts was scattered abroad, and several 
of them from the isle of Cyprus and from Cyrene, (now 
called Barca,) on the coast of Africa, fled to Antioch in 
Syria, then known as the Queen city of the East, vast 
and magnificent, containing at least half a million of 
inhabitants, and distinguished by the imperial gift of 
^^ Liberty for all religions." Pleasure, fashion, philo- 
sophy, idolatry, and freedom of speech were all 
flourishing there ; and there the missionary exiles broke 
over the bounds by which they had hitherto been ham- 
pered, entered Heathendom, and preached the gospel to 
the Greeks, who, to the astonishment of all, received it 
with a jo^^ous welcome. A new field ''white to the har- 
vest" was thus thrown open ; a strong church was 
gathered ; and the liberal-hearted Barnabas, a citizen of 
Cyprus, sought as his coadjutor, Paul of Cilicia, a man, 
as you know, of Hebrew blood, but of a cosmopolitan 
spirit, and an education that qualified him for an inter- 
course, as a teacher, with every rank and class of men. 
Under the joint-leadership of these two large-souled and 
faithful ministers of the word, the first Gentile church 
enjoyed a year or more of unparalleled prosperity in a 



Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 345 

city where the most ample religious liberty was guaran- 
teed and shielded by the Roman government. 

But then, this clear sky was slightly darkened by the 
rising of a little cloud, which, though it seemed at first 
^'no bigger than a man's hand,'' was destined to gather 
into itself, by subtile affinities, many noxious elements 
and to overspread the face of the firmament. 

This change was signalized by the arrival of several new 
teachers connected with the mother church, and desig- 
nated by the historian, Luke, " certain men who came 
down from Judea." They inculcated a doctrine that 
was novel, startling, and annoying to the young Gentile 
church that had already grown strong on the aliment of 
a simple gospel, and the iuAagorating air of Christian 
freedom. These visitors from Judea were bound to- 
gether b}^ a common purpose ; that was the modeling of 
the Gentile church into a conformity to the constitution 
of the old Jewish national church, which had already 
^^had its day," had fulfilled its mission, and was about 
to be dismissed from the scene of earthly action by the 
hand of Providence, in accordance with the predictions 
that the Messiah had announced on the last week of his 
life, as he sat with his disciples overlooking Jerusalem 
on the mount of Olivet. It is evident that these teach- 
ers were men of more than ordinary influence ; they 
spake in the tones of earnest men, with a voice of 
authority, calling attention to a certain deficiency which 
they pointed out in regard to the way of preaching Chris- 
tianity adopted at Antioch. They insisted on the 
necessity of maintaining the perpetuity and dignity of 
that ancient constitution, which, as the author of the 
Epistle to the Hebrews said,"^ " decay eth, waxeth old, 
and is ready to vanish away," they set forth the doctrine, 

* Heb^e^YS viii. 13. 



346 Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 

that Christianity is one with Judaism, or only an ap- 
pendage to it, which they put in the form of their favor- 
ite dogma '^Except ye be circumcised and keep the law, 
ye cannot be saved. '^ 

The real, far-reaching significance of this dogma was 
seen at a glance by the Gentile Christians of Antioch, 
especially by their missionary founders and leaders, 
Paul and Barnabas ; and in them it aroused, at once, 
instinctive forebodings of its manifold progeny of evil, 
sufficient of itself, if accepted, to thwart and baffle the 
benign, reforming aims of the 'New Dispensation. They 
saw enfolded therein a principle which, when nourished 
into life, would idolize obsolete ideas, and attack de- 
cayed forms as drag-weights upon the wheels of Chris- 
tian progress. The announcement of the dogma, there- 
fore, startled them, like the sound of an enemy's trumpet, 
and of one accord they braced themselves for the contest, 
and so, you see, it is written in the second verse of this 
chapter, that with these men " Paul and Barnabas had 
no small dissension and disputation.'' 

These words of the sacred historian are very sugges- 
tive, and they place before us these two apostolic teach- 
ers, all alive with zeal and courage, battling together 
against the introduction of a deadly error. Luke has 
not recorded their forms of argument. Paul was no 
doubt, the chief speaker. Would you obtain a just con- 
ception of his forms of speech, his manner, tone, and 
spirit, as he addressed himself to the task of meeting this 
emergency, rising with the occasion and vindicating the 
original simplicity of the New Testament church ? Then, 
read carefully, in the light of the collated facts, the ap- 
peals recorded by his own pen six years afterward, in 
his letter to the Christians of Galatia, in the year of 58, 
when the first heres}^ of the early church had struck its 
roots over into that province. Hear him, while he shows 



Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 347 

that a cherished sympathy with the spirit of the new sect 
would generate all the evils of the old Judaism, wrested 
from its place and perverted from its original designs. 
'' Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ has 
made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke 
of bondage. Behold I, Paul, say unto you, that if ye be 
circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify 
again to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor 
to do the ivhole law. Christ is become of no effect unto 
you, whosoever of you are justified by the law : ye are 
fallen from grace. For we, through the Spirit, wait for 
the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Jesus Christ 
neither circumcision awaiteth any thing, nor uncircum- 
cision ; but faith which worketh by love. Ye did run 
well : who did hinder you that ye should not obey the 
truth ? This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth 
you. A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. I have 
confidence in you, through the Lord, that ye will be none 
otherwise minded : but he that troubleth you shall bear 
his judgment, whosoever he be. I would they were even 
cut off which trouble you." 

Evidently his soul was deeply troubled by the things 
that troubled them. Before he had written these pun- 
gent appeals, he had exclaimed, '' 0, foolish Galatians, 
who hath bewitched you, that je should not obey the 
truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evi- 
dently set forth, crucified among you.'' ^' When ye knew 
not Grod, ye did service unto them which, by nature, are 
no gods : but now, after that ye have known God, or 
rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak 
and beggarly elements, whereunto 3^e desire again to 
be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and 
times, and years. I am afraid of yoic, lest I have 
bestowed upon you labor in vain." 

Every man who has formed any just conception of the 



348 Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 

character of Paul will admit, of course, tliat appeals like 
these must have exerted a mighty influence at once in 
settling the new question that was now agitating the 
Gentile church. The principle involved in that question 
was so momentous that it was deemed necessary to de- 
cide it in the most formal and permanent manner that 
was possible. Therefore, as Jerusalem was the seat of 
the first church, as Apostles and Elders were still re- 
siding there, it w^as resolved to send a delegation, con- 
sisting of Paul, Barnabas, and others, in order to consti- 
tute a Conference for the purpose of pronouncing an 
authoritative decision as to the true doctrine of Chris- 
tianity in its relation to Judaism. That Conference was 
held in the year 52 ; the occasion of its assembling was 
the rise of sectarianism among the primitive Christians ; 
from Luke's record of it I have derived the words of my 
text ; and these words disclose the fact that the first sect 
which uprose within the pale of the apostolic churches 
was the Pharisaic sect of Judaism, transferred ; a root 
of bitterness transplanted from an exhausted vineyard 
to seek aliment in a fresh virgin soil. 

We are accustomed, generally, to think and speak of 
the Pharisees only as a Jewish sect, and as Jesus found 
them, the devotees of a decayed past ; but if we consider 
closely this fifteenth chapter of Luke's history of the 
early church, in its relation to subsequent history, we 
see the Christianized Pharisees becoming a Christian 
sect, confronting the Apostles themselves, seeking to 
recast the form of the Messiah's kingdom in the moulds 
of their old system, after its life and spirit had gone out 
of it. Li this first Conference it lifted up its voice 
^' with much disputing,'' as Luke's expression is,* in 
defence of a bad cause, which, as we now see, was des- 
tined widely to prevail. 

* Acts. XV. 5^7^ 



Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 349 

How long this Conference remained in session we are 
not informed ; but when there came a lull in the disput- 
ings of the Pharisaic membership, the apostolic teachers 
spake ; Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and James, the President ; 
all of whom set forth the marvelous work of the Holy 
Spirit in the conversion of the Heathen, by the simple 
gospel, as the signal event of the age, tallying with the 
ancient prophecies, which they quoted, touching the 
advent of the Messianic Kingdom, that was to be set 
up, not for the glory of Judaism, but in order to bless 
the world with the knowledge of salvation, and to call 
all the kindreds of men into a new brotherhood, as wor- 
shipers of the one true God. 

The practical conclusion which they reached was the 
utter inconsistency of an alleged obligation to observe 
the initiatory sacrament of Judaism with the free spirit 
of the New Dispensation ; and, therefore, its entire aboli- 
tion as a religious rite. This announcement, as the re- 
sult of the Conference, was sent forth in a '' letter mis- 
sive," addressed to the Gentile brethren of Antioch, 
Syria, and Cilicia, and was hailed with a welcome by all 
alike who were alive to the spirit of the new era. When 
they heard that the initiatory sacrament of the Old 
Church had been designated an " intolerable yoke upon 
the neck of the disciples" they saw clearly that its entire 
abolition swept away the basis for the Pharisaic doc- 
trine of conformity to the Jewish Constitution, and set 
forth the Church of the Messiah as sufficient of itself to 
meet the spiritual needs, not merely of the natural seed 
of Abraham, but of universal man. 

II. Such, then, having been originally the doctrine and 
the spirit of the one body of churches over which the Apos- 
tles presided with divine authority, such the result of the 
first contest with the rising sect of Christian Pharisaism, 
it was hoped, no doubt, by the early Gentile Christians 
30 



350 Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 

that the controversy had been settled for all time. ]^ot 
so ! the heresy of conformity still lived ; its vital princi- 
ple was restrained, not destroyed. We have already 
seen, from the quotation of Paul's own burning words, how 
it resisted and baffled him in Galatia, six or seven years 
after the apostolic declaration of doctrine in Jerusalem. 

We find him still, twelve or thirteen years after the 
time of the Conference, battling against the same grow- 
ing sect at Colosse, in Asia Minor, in the year 64 ; in 
his epistle of this date, remonstrating with the Christians 
of that city, sa^dng i"^ '^ Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ 
from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in 
the world, are 3^e subject to ordinances, (Touch not ; taste 
not ; handle not ; which all are to perish with the using ;) 
after the commandments and doctrines of men?" Again, 
he saith :f '' Beware lest any man spoil you through philos- 
ophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the 
rudiments of the world, and not after Christ ; for ye are 
comjDlete in him. Let no man, therefore, judge you in 
meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or of the 
new moon, or of the sabbath days ; which are a shadow 
of things to come ; but the body is of Christ." 

This spirit of the Pharisaic sect, demanding conform- 
ity to the obsolete Jewish Church Constitution, checked 
but not killed, gradually spread itself, working stealthily, 
and ceased not until it had tainted with its priestly 
Judaism the whole mass of Christendom ; so that, in 
the end, it realized PauPs brief description of it, "a 
little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." 

Whosoever has derived his knowledge of the Christian 
religion from the New Testament, whosoever has formed 
a clear conception of the church of the New Testament, 
and then has studied ecclesiastical history from the 

* Colos. ii. 20-22. t Colos. ii. 8, 10, 16, 17. 



Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 351 

stand-point of the New Testament, in the light which 
the inspired word casts over the broad historical land- 
scape, will be profoundly interested in observing the 
rank development of this element of error in two grand 
far-reaching issues. 

I. It transformed the simple, spiritual, evangelical 
religion of the ISTew Testament into a Sacramental re- 
ligion, distinguished by its materialistic and ceremonial 
character ; a religion of saving sacraments. 

This statement, let it be observed, is not intended to 
describe the state of things in the Middle Ages, nor, 
particularly, in the times immediately preceding the 
establishment of Popery, as a supreme power ; but it is 
intended to characterize the st^'le of Christianity that 
was beginning to prevail at the close of the first century, 
even before the death of the last of the Apostles. As 
has been truthfully said by one of the most celebrated 
historical writers of our age, already quoted in another 
connection. Dean Milman, a man of acknowledged eru- 
dition and candor: *' Paul's public expostulation had 
the effect of allajang the discord at Antioch ; and the 
temperate and conciliatory measures adopted at Jerusa- 
lem, to a certain degree reunited the conflicting parties. 
Still, in most places where Paul established a new com- 
munity, immediately after his departure this same spirit 
of Judaism seems to have rallied, and attempted to 
re-establish the great exclusive principle, that Christi- 
anity was no more than Judaism completed by the 
reception of Jesus as the Messiah." '^ This conflict," he 
adds, ^'may be traced most clearly in the Epistles of St. 
Paul, particularly in those to the remote communities 
in Galatia and in Rome.""^ 

Even so : the great sectarian controversy began in 

* Milman's History of Christianity, New York, p. 170-1, 



^^2 Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 

that early day, during the life time of the Apostles them 
selves, and its vital fires have never been extinguished. 
So mighty was the prejudice against Paul's view of 
*' the simplicity that is in Christ/' that in addressing 
churches that have been planted by his own hands, he 
was obliged to vindicate his claims to authority as a 
delegated teacher of Christianity. And when he died 
the sect that opposed him triumphed and prevailed. 
For as early as the second century, far and widely, 
throughout the broad area of the Eastern and Western 
Churches, that is, among the Greeks and Latins, they 
did, ''for substance of doctrine'' as really insist on re- 
taining the rite of circumcision as did those first con- 
verts of the Pharisaic sect who raised the Judaistic 
battle-cry in the Gentile church of Antioch. To all 
intents and purposes they urged its observance ; for, 
while they acknowledged the validity of the decree 
published by the apostolic Conference at Jerusalem, as 
to the letter, they revolted from its spirit, saying that 
though the outward form of circumcision had been set 
aside, yet baptism had come in its place, a seal of the 
same covenant, designed to ansv/er the very same ends ! 
One of the most popular and venerated writings 
among the Christians of the second century was a w^ork 
entitled '' The Shepherd of Hermas ;" so called because 
the author, Hermas, in the second book, describing his 
visions, introduces his guardian angel in the character 
of a shepherd ; and this work, (believed by many to 
have been written by Hermas, recognized as a friend by 
Paul in the fourteenth verse of the sixteenth chapter of 
the epistle to the Romans,) clearly proves, (or as the 
German historian. Dr. Hase, says,)"^^ '' contains evidence 
that baptism had already taken the place of circum- 

* A History of the Christian Church. New York, 1855, p. 36. 



Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 353 

cision." This book announced the doctrine that the 
Apostles left the world and went into Hades, Avhere they 
performed the rite of baptism on the pious souls of the 
Old Testament who had not been baptized ! And this 
strange idea was popularly received, as well as the 
visionary book that taught it, a book quoted even by 
IrenseuSj of the second century, as of apostolical dignity. 
As the first troublers of the Gentile Church at Antioch 
had laid it down as a Christian law, '' Except jq be 
circumcised jq cannot be saved/' the prevailing belief 
of the second centurj^ was expressed in a similar man- 
ner ; " Except ye be baptized with w^ater ye cannot bo 
saved.'' And, as of old, the uncircumcised son of 
Abraham was not to be reckoned among God's chosen 
people, so now, at the early period of which we speak, 
death before baptism was regarded as the sealing of 
one's doom forever among the outcast heathen. 

As circumcision, in the view of the ancient Pharisee, 
was the great " saving sacrament," so, in the second 
century of the Christian era, the water of baptism 
washed away all sin, and placed every recipient within 
the pale of God's well-ordered covenant. So deeply 
rooted and widely spread did this sentiment become, so 
thoroughly did it intertwine itself with men's elementary 
ideas of religion, that the eloquent Chrysostom, Bishop 
of Constantinople in the fourth century, expressed the 
real catholic doctrine of the age when he wrote, as he 
did in one of his exhortations to the candidates for 
baptism — '' although a man should be foul with every 
human vice, the blackest that can be named, yet should 
he fall into the baptismal pool, he ascends from the 
divine waters purer than the beams of noon."* 

Who that marks the connections and course of events 

* Isaac Taylor's Ancient Christianity, vol. i. p. 236. London, 1841. 



354 Rise of Sectarianism in Christendoi . 

does not discern in this momentous change tLc fulfill- 
ment of Paul's prophetic warnings ; seeing that the very 
class of teachers that the apostle had put down as a 
troublesome sectj at last prevailed in numbers and in 
power, until they appeared in the eyes of the world as 
the true apostolic, catholic Church, the visible body of 
Christ ? Could they, by virtue of mere numbers and 
regular succession, become the representative Church 
of a I^ew Testament Christianity ? B}^ no means. 
Could the originally heretical sect become thus transub- 
stantiated ? When Charlemagne, the champion of the 
Romish Church, sent to the Saxons his church-creed, in 
that brief message '^ Baptism or death," he expressed, 
in the tersest manner possible, the spirit of the trans- 
ferred old Pharisaic sect, not the spirit of the true 
church, the ^' Bride of Christ." 

The anciently popular idea of which I have spoken, 
the necessity of baptism in order to salvation, the 
saving efficacy of the outward rite, naturally led, in 
due time, to a variety of administrations, so as to suit 
the circumstances of the sick, the dying, and of tender 
infants who had never seen the light. The anointed 
priest, hurryi*ng with his vial of water, at night, to the 
chamber of death, was authorized to say that this ad- 
ministration might suffice as a saving sacrament in case 
of extreme necessity, by "' special grace ;" and there 
bending over the couch of the dying, hailed as a minis- 
tering angel, in that attitude represented the theology 
of the time, the crj^stallized essence of the anti-Pauline 
sect which marred the work of the great Apostle of the 
Gentiles, and saddened his last days by imposing upon 
him the bitter task of building again that which it had 
destroyed. 

Tallying with all this sectarian corruption was the de- 
velopment of the early Christian Pharisaism in its rela- 



Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 355 

tion to the Lord's Supper, which was also administered 
as a '' saving sacrament" for sins committed after bap- 
tism. In man}^ places consecrated bread, soaked in wine, 
was placed between the lips of infants, in order to secure 
to them a happy destiny. For six hundred years Infant 
Communion was the universal practice of the prelatical 
churches of Christendom until the eleventh century, 
when the Romish or Latin church, asserting the doctrine 
of transubstantiation, that the substance of the Eucharist 
is converted into the real body and blood of Christ, the 
bread and wine were withheld from the lips of infants so 
that they might not incur the peril of rejection and de- 
filement ; while in the eastern prelatical churches of 
Greek origin, wherein the Latin language was not spoken 
and the Papal authority was not acknowledged, the cus- 
tom has been continued unto this day. As far back as 
the fourth centur;^, however, the sacrament of the Eucha- 
rist was invested with such an air of mysterious sacred- 
ness that the people were afraid to receive it, so that at 
the first Council of Toledo, in the year 438, the}^ made 
this canon : '' If any one does not swallow the eucharist 
when he has received it of the priest, let him be excom- 
municated as a sacrilegious person." More than two 
centuries afterward, in the year 6^5, another council at 
Toledo released infants from this censure on account of 
their ignorance and weakness. The names which our 
Lord gave to the simple rites of his own appointment 
were applied to the strange substitutes of man's device. 
The number of rites, too, was constantly increasing ; and 
thus there grew up among the Christian nations a gor- 
geous ritualism, that threw into the shade the ancient 
splendors that had once charmed the e}' e of the Pharisaic 
devotee, had nourished in his heart the love of shadowy 
forms, and had erased from his mind all just conceptions 
of ''the simplicity that is in Christ.'' 
30* 



356 Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 

When this gloomy Ecclesiasticism had overspread the 
whole area of Christendom, except those recesses where 
lay hidden the scattered representatives of the primitive 
church, like the Waldenses and Piedmontese, of whom 
Milton speaks in his sonnet-prayer ^' Even them that kept 
thy truth so pure of old" — a " church in the wilderness" 
■ — suddenly, in the fifteenth century, Europe was electri- 
fied by the appearance of a band of heroic men sounding 
out a call for reformation; champions of God's word, 
who came forth like the prophets Elijah and Elisha, in 
Israel, in an age of comsummated degeneracy. 

The mission of the Reformers signalized the modern 
era. As far as the essential doctrines of salvation, in 
their relation to the soul of the individual was concerned, 
it restored the purit}^ of the primitive Christian age ; but 
in regard to the reconstruction of the degenerate church, 
it repeated the great sectarian error of the first and second 
century, retaining, as it did, the old element of the Phari- 
saic sect in the form of a substitute for circumcision, 
sealing the church membership of infants under the name 
of Christian baptism. Since then, more than three cen- 
turies have rolled away, exhibiting just such fruitage as 
might have been anticipated. As, in accordance with 
Judaism, all children were born at once into the Church 
as well as the State, the same rite sealed their connection 
with both ; and, throughout Protestant Europe, the Bap- 
tismal Register became a charter of worldly citizenship. 
A religious creed was made a part of state policy, estab- 
lished by the civil law, and enforced on all consciences. 
This was regarded as the perfection of order. To-day, 
however, in the country of Luther, there is a national 
church w^hich claims to be child of the Reformation, but 
which has no fellowship with its spirit. It has " a name 
to live, but is dead." And yet, though spiritually dead, 
it is carnally alive, smiting by the magisterial sword, with 



Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom, 



357 



penalties and pains, all those who consistently preach the 
great principle of Luther himself, the supremacy of God's 
word over the individuar conscience ; a State church which 
has long dispensed to the people a kind of Christianity 
which is ''the leaven of the Pharisees," a mere religion 
of sacraments; and which, where it is not this, is ''the 
leaven of the Sadducees,'' a merely rationalistic philoso- 
phy. What has been the practical result ? It was well 
expressed by Lord Macaulay, when he said that for three 
hundred years Protestant Christianity had scarcely gained 
an inch of ground in Europe. 

2. Besides this rank development of a sacramental re- 
ligion as the antagonist of an evangelical religion, the 
next great result in which the doctrine of the Pharisaic 
party in the first century became evolved, was the 
reconstruction of the Christian ministry into a con- 
formity to the three fold order of the Jewish priesthood. 

In the New Testament we do not read of any such 
three-fold order as Prelates, or Diocesan Bishops, with 
Presbyters, or Elders, and Deacons, subordinated to them ; 
but we do read of such a three-fold order at a very early 
period after the apostolic age. No man of knowledge 
and of candor, probably, would deny the truth of this 
latter statement. And this high antiquity is deemed by 
many a solid foundation for maintaining this order now 
and universally, and for asserting its claim to a divine 
origin. They declare with confidence that it must have 
been established by the Apostles. This conclusion, they 
say, is as clear to their view as a mathematical demonstra- 
tion. Not so: to us the reverse is clear; for, admitting 
that they quote and interpret correctly the earliest testi- 
monies upon which they depend, the great question still 
remains, upon what foundation was this constitution of 
the church placed by its first advocates ? On the au- 
thority of the Scriptures, the recorded word of Christ ? 



2^S Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 

By no means. It was grounded npon this principle, 
that the jpriestly constitution of the Jewish church was 
designed to be, throughout all ages, a pattern for the 
Christian ; and on this ground conformity was demanded. 
There is but one writer of the first century who is claimed 
as the advocate of this three-fold order ; this is Clement 
of Rome, or Clemens Komanus, who is regarded as the 
very man to whom Paul sent the friendly salutation re- 
corded in the last chapter of his Epistle to the Komans. 
A few lines from an Epistle of Clement, addressed to the 
Corinthians, are cited as the proof of this position. 

jSTow, let it be remembered, that there are hosts of 
learned and candid men who say that the prelatists mis- 
apprehend and misinterpret these quoted lines. The 
interpretation remains an open question. But what is 
worthy of special note in this connection is this fact ; 
if the interpretation of the Prelatists be correct, it only 
affirms the Pharisaic doctrine, that the constitution of the 
Christian church ought to be conformed to the priestly 
constitution of Judaism. This prelatical interpretation 
of Clement's words is thus stated by a learned and de- 
vout defender of Prelacy : '' Clement reasons that from 
the subordination in the temple, first of the High Priests, 
then of th'e ordinary priests, then of the Levites, and, 
last of all,- of the people, there is to be inferred a neces- 
sity of a like subordination in the Christian church." 

Again ^'from the set time and place of off'ering the 
Levitical sacrifices, which it was penal in any to trans- 
gress, is to be urged a like duty of observing the set 
times and places of ecclesiastical assemblies, and other 
things.'"^ Clement of Rome, be it remembered, is the 
most ancient of the Christian Fathers, appealed to by 
both Catholic and Protestant prelatists; the first ques- 

*- See Clement ad Cor. i. 18. 



Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 359 

tion is, do these interpret his meaning aright ? Admit 
that they do so, what then? What shall we say of 
Clement's church doctrine thus rendered, with the whole 
range of Paul's Epistles before our eyes ? Simply this ; 
that Clement had joined the Anti-Pauline j^cirty of the 
day. If these were really the ideas of Clement, then it 
is clear that he belonged to the Pharisaic sect that 
stealthily gained its foothold within the bounds of the 
Christian church, in spite of all that had been done to 
''head it off'' by the Apostolic Conference at Jerusalem. 
That is the only logical conclusion that the case admits. 
We cannot be followers of Paul, and at the same time 
receive teachings and reasonings that are the direct an- 
tithesis of what he made it his lifework to inculcate. 

Yes, friends and hearers, the questionings of the par- 
ties in controversy are reduced to this one : shall we 
take side with Paul or with his sectarian antasfonists ? 
The testimonies of Paul we have already cited. Does 
he argue from the set times and places of Jewish ob- 
servances the necessity of like appointments in the 
Christian Church ? Just hear him again in his .appeal 
to the consciences of his brethren in Galatia."^ '' But 
now, after that ye have known God, how turn ye again 
to the weak and beggarly elements whereunto ye desire 
again to be in bondage ? Ye observe da^^s, and months, 
and times, and years. I am afraid lest I have bestowed 
upon you labor in vain.'' '' I would they were even cut 
off who trouble you. " ''A little leaven leaveneth the whole 
lump." Evidently, either Paul misunderstood Chris- 
tianity, or else the men who taught such doctrines as 
the prelatists insist upon attributing to Clement, cor- 
rupted the streams of Christian truth at the fountain- 
head, and are identified with that Pharisaic sect that 

-* Galatians iv. 9-11; v. 12. 



360 Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 

were of the Anti-Pauline spirit, and marred the beautiful 
simplicity of Gentile Christianity. 

Accountable as we are to our one Lord and Master 
who died for us, rose again, and is enthroned as Head 
over all things to the church, shall we allow such teach- 
ers, though invested with patristic honors, to become 
our Rabbles and legislators, to mould our opinions by 
ecclesiastical authority, and wield over us the sceptre of 
canonical dominion? 

By no means. ^^ One is your Master, even Christ." 
They may laud highly a Christian priesthood, a three- 
fold order and subordination in the Christian ministry ; 
but the inspired word recognizes nothing of this sort 
except as a doctrine antagonistical to the primitive 
truth. I admit its antiquity; but the more deeply I 
penetrate into its nature and history, the more clearly I 
perceive that it is sacramental, priestly Judaism ; that its 
first advocates were striving to vitalize an economy des- 
tined ^' to vanish away ;'' that it is the very thing, in 
principle and aim, against which Paul constantly pro- 
tests ; that their claims on its behalf bears on its front 
the mark of its sectarian origin in that party of Phari- 
saic Christians whose tenets the Apostolic Conference 
condemned: and that it is a part of that grand apos- 
tasy from the primal truth of which the voice of inspira- 
tion said to the Thessalonian church, ^'it doth already 
work;'"^ of which it was predicted that it would exalt 
itself and bear sway in God's temple before the advent 
of that day wherein he ^'will consume it with the breath 
of his mouth, destroy it by the brightness of his coming, '^ 
and restore the purity of the Pentecostal day. 

And now, in view of this subject, as seen in the light 
s>f sacred Scripture and history, let us learn to guard 

^* 2 Thess. ii. 1-8. 



Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 361 

ourselves against the illusions of a very common error 
in regard to the proper method of settling those ques- 
tions of great ''pith and moment'^ pertaining to Chris- 
tianity and the church, which every devoutly inquiring 
mind must meet, at least once in a lifetime. Every one 
who has been born and educated in a Christian country, 
starts forth upon his life-course in the midst of conflict- 
ing religious opinions, and of church establishments that 
exhibit a great variety of observances, which they com- 
mend to our acceptance as being invested with divine 
sanctions and obligatory upon the conscience. At the 
very outset, the inquirer after truth is met by Christian 
ministries, designated Catholic or Protestant, as the 
case may be, and is charged to beware of the peril of 
attempting to read and interpret the Scripture for him- 
self, in the exercise of ''private judgment.'' He is bid- 
den at once to hear and submit to the church as God's 
appointed witness and interpreter. He is told, perhaps, 
of what his sponsors in baptism did for him ; then he is 
called upon to receive the rite of confirmation; he is 
urged to observe with reverence a number of festivals 
and fasts ; to avoid meat and be content with fish and 
eggs on Fridays, as well as to abstain from his ordinary 
aliments during the forty days of Lent. Thus he is bid- 
den by authorized and validly ordained teachers to ad- 
vance step by step to the mastery and practice of a 
minute and gorgeous ritualism. If he venture to ask in 
regard to any one of these observances upon what au- 
thority it is grounded, seeing that he cannot find any 
allusion to it in the New Testament, he is told, that its 
existence may be traced by the light of authentic history 
so far beyond the beginning of Popery, so very near 
the apostolic age, that it must have been of apostolic 
origin. He is not prepared, perhaps, with any reply, 
not having had; as Paul expressed it, "his senses exer- 



362 Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. 

cised to discern between good and evil.'' He deems the 
argument conclusive. He ci^osses the line that separates 
the church of the New Testament from that of a degene- 
rate age, and bows himself to the yoke of traditionism, 
which, though at first it may sit lightly on his neck, be- 
comes, in the end, a yoke of galling bondage, rasping his 
sensibilities, dwarfing his manhood, and transforming 
him under church sanctions into a ceremonial devotee. 

When that line is once crossed there is no telling at 
what point the inquirer will stop for that repose his 
spirit craves. For, as he touches the ordinances of Ro- 
manism, one by one, and traces the history of each, he 
finds that the same argument of antiquity avails on its 
behalf to substantiate its claim. Auricular confession, 
priestly absolution, invocation of saints, homage paid to 
sacred relics, worship of the Yirgin Mary, the degrada- 
tion of marriage as unsaintly, the eflScacy of fastings and 
penances, and ascetic abstinences from those things 
which, as Paul said, " God had created to be received with 
thanksgiving," and a vast aggregate of human devices 
which the Protestant Reformation swept away as intol- 
erable burdens imposed by a half-paganized Judaism 
under the name of Christian law, all find their vindica- 
tion in the established usages that long preceded the in- 
auguration of the Papal power. Of each of these it has 
been affirmed again and again, from age to age, with the 
majority in Christendom concurring, its earl}^ prevalence 
proves that it must have had an apostolic origin. 

Friendly inquirer, seeking truth, of unsettled mind as 
to what light to follow, yet parleying with the priestly 
representative of church authority as your soul's guide — 
beware ! Your next step may C7^oss that line into a clevi- 
ous path on an inclined plane, along which descent you 
will move at a rapid pace, impelled by the gravitating 
power of an irresistible moral law. Beware ! Hold fast 



Rise of Sectarianism in Christendom. ^^3 

to Christ '>s word as the only sure lamp of your feet. Bow 
down before no authoritative interpretation of that word 
except the recorded testimony of those Apostles whom 
he himself ordained to ^' sit on twelve thrones, judging 
the twelve tribes of Israel." If from the depths of an- 
tiquity the' voice of some Saint, as a witness of the truth, 
challenge 3^our reverent submission, challenge him back 
with the appeal, Who art thou ? To which party didst 
thou belong, the Pauline or the Anti-Pauline ? And if 
any man, be he called saint or angel, '' preach any other 
gospel" unto you than that which Paul preached, let his 
teaching be to you as Paul commands, ' 'Anathema," that 
is set aside under the ban and interdict of utter rejec- 
tion. Remember the great Apostle's solemn adjuration, 
^' 1 certify you, brethren, that the gospel preached of me, 
is not after man ; for I neither received it of man, neither 
was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ." 
Kemember, too, the words of the Apostle and High 
Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus: ''I am the good 
Shepherd, my sheep hear my voice ; they know not the 
voice of strangers ; I know them and they follow me ; and 
I give unto them eternal life ; and none shall pluck them 
out of my hands." 

Behold the sure foundation stone 

Which Grod in Zion lays ; 
For men to build their hopes upon, 

And his eternal praise. 

It is worthy of everlasting trust : this is solid rock 
" and all is sea besides." 



XYI. 
MISSIOI OF BAPTISTS. 



By J. B. JETEE, D.D., 

Of Eichmond, Virginia. 



"Now I PRAISE YOU, BRETHREN, THAT TE * * * KEEP THE ORDINANCES, AS I 
DELIVERED THEM TO TOU." — 1 Cor. xi. 2. 

The Apostle had censured the members of the Corin- 
thian church for their connivance at idolatrous practices. 
The eating of things offered as sacrifices to idols, though 
it might in itself be lawful, was, under the circumstances, 
inexpedient and unbecoming. Paul, with a thorough 
knowledge of human nature, aiming to conciliate those 
whom he would reform, mingled commendation with re- 
proof. He iDraised the Corinthian Christians for their 
steadfast adherence to the ''ordinances,'' which he had 
delivered to them. 

The term ''ordinances," or "traditions," as it is in the 
margin, signifies the doctrine of the Apostles, relating to 
either faith or practice, and communicated either by the 
tongue or the pen. " Therefore, brethren," says the Apos- 
tle, in his second letter to the Thessalonians (ii. 15), 
" stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been 
taught, whether by word or our epistle." The precise 
thing which Paul exhorteth the Thessalonians to do, he 
commended the Corinthians for having done — that is, 
for holding firmly the "traditions," or "ordinances," 
(364) 



Mission of Baptists. 365 

which they had been taught by inspired, and conse- 
quently infallible, men. 

In popular phraseology '' the ordinances" denote bap- 
tism and the Lord's supper, or the positive institutions 
of Christianit3^ The apostolic ordinances, though not 
limited to these institutions, certainly included them. 
Baptism and the Lord's supper were among the ordi- 
nances delivered by Paul to the '' Church of God, which" 
was '' at Corinth," and for the preservation of which 
their praise has been perpetuated. In this discourse I 
shall use the word " ordinances" in its popular, and not 
in its scriptural sense, or rather not in its full scriptural 
sense. 

The ordinances — Baptism and the Lord's supper — are 
of divine origin. They were established by the Lord 
Jesus, not arbitrarily, oppressively, or inconsiderately ; 
but wisely, kindly, and authoritatively^ The Apostles 
received the ordinances from Christ. Baptism was given 
to John, the forerunner of Christ, directl}^ from heaven ; 
and it was ratified by the example of Christ, and by 
him solemnly committed in trust to his Apostles. ''All 
power," said the risen Jesus, ''is given unto me in 
heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, teach all na- 
tions, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of 
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Paul was not with 
the "eleven disciples" w^hen they received this commis- 
sion; but what was intrusted to them orally by the 
Lord, was committed to him by the inspiration of the 
Spirit. "But I certify you, brethren," said the Apostle, 
"that the gospel," and this gospel included Baptism and 
the Lord's supper, "which was preached of me is not 
after man. For I neither received it of man, neither 
was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."* 

* Galatians i. 11, 12. 

31* 



^66 Mission of Baptists. 

Paul informs us explicitly, in the context of the passage 
under consideration, that the Lord's supper was com- 
mitted to him by the ascended Saviour. 'Tor I have,'' 
said the apostle, in speaking of this ordinance, ''received 
of the Lord Jesus that which also I delivered unto you." 

Paul, by the divine blessing on his ministrations, 
having succeeded in founding a large and prosperous 
church in the city of Corinth, committed to them, by the 
Spirit of inspiration, the ordinances which he had re- 
ceived of the Lord Jesus. In number, form, substance, 
and order, as the servant had received them from the 
Master, they were delivered, as a sacred deposit to the 
church ; and their duty it was, with all docility, to 
understand and embrace them, and with all fidelity and 
joerseverance, to hold and maintain them ; and they were 
praised by their infallible instructor for their faithful- 
ness to the momentous trust. 

The apostolic ordinances were, in their very nature, 
liable to be perverted. Nothing is too plain, too im- 
portant, or too sacred to be corrupted by the folly or 
pride of men. "Unto them that are defiled and unbe- 
lieving is nothing pure." The liability of the " ordi- 
nances" to be perverted, and the guilt of changing them, 
are clearly implied in the commendation divinely be- 
stowed on the Corinthian church for maintaining them 
inviolate. The Mosaic institution, originating, not with 
Moses, but in the wisdom and goodness of Jehovah, 
was, through the perversity of the Scribes and Phari- 
sees, converted into Judaism — a monstrous s^^'stem of 
bigotrj^, intolerance, and hypocrisy. It was, in the 
nature of things, as probable that the gospel should be 
corrupted as it was that the law should be. The per- 
version of the gospel was foretold by the Spirit of pro- 
phecy. " For the time will come," said the Apostle, 
** when they will not endure sound doctrine ; but after 



Mission of Baptists. 367 

their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, 
having itching ears ; and they shall turn away their ears 
from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."* This 
prediction has been fulfilled. Every fact, doctrine, and 
precept of the gospel has been denied by the perverse- 
ness or vitiated by the ingenuity of men. None can 
doubt the corruption of the ordinances, baptism, and 
the Lord's supper, in their forms, substance, order, and 
design. Some have rejected them altogether, as incom- 
l^atible with the spirituality of the new dispensation ; 
some have viewed them as unimportant rites, to be ob- 
served or rejected, according to the convenience or 
caprice of men ; others have ascribed to them an efficacy 
due only to the blood of Christ and the influence of the 
Holy Spirit ; and comparatively few have maintained 
them in their divine authority, their scriptural import, 
their relative value and sanctifying efficacy. They have 
been the great battlefields of theologians, in every age, 
from the apostolic down to the present ; and they will 
probably continue so to be until the mists of error shall 
be scattered by the beams of the m^illennial glory. 

In the providence of God, the Baptists have been 
raised up. If he feeds the fowls of the air, notices the 
falling of a sparrow, counts the hairs on the heads of his 
people, and clothes with beauty the lily of the valley, he 
certainly is not regardless of the grow^th and influence 
of a religious denomination, who, with their adherents, 
must be numbered by millions. Whether their origin 
and progress are to be traced to the folly and fickleness 
of men, or to the truth, grace, and overruling care of 
God, they are, doubtless, destined to perform an import- 
ant part in the concerns of the w^orld. Their rise, ad- 



* 2 Tim. iv. 3, 4. 



368 Mission of Baptists. 

vancement and struggles ; their persecutions, sufferings 
and perils ; their numbers, resources, and prospects ; it 
is not my purpose to trace. These have been consid- 
ered, more or less minutely, by others, in the series of 
sermons, in which this occupies an humble place. 

Agreeing with other denominations in all the princi- 
ples of evangelical Christianity, Baptists have peculiar 
views of the ordinances — baptism and the Lord's supper. 
They maintain that only immersion is baptism ; that only 
believers are proper subjects of the ordinance ; that bap- 
tism is a prerequisite of church membership ; that the 
Lord's supper is a symbolic feast, never to be observed 
except by a church in its corporate capacity, and for no 
purpose, except to promote the spiritual life of the com- 
municants and the glory of its Divine Author. Some of 
these articles of faith are held by Baj)tists in common 
with a few other Christian denominations ; but taken to- 
gether, and in their various relations, they are embraced 
only by Baptists. These views, in all times and in all 
countries, have constituted them a peculiar people — a 
people in direct antagonism to all other classes of profess- 
ing Christians, whether Roman Catholics or Protestants. 
I shall, in this discourse, take it for granted that Baptist 
principles are scriptural. They have been discussed by 
others, in this series of sermons, better qualified than I 
am, to prove their divine authority. 

For what purpose, then, has God, in his far-reaching 
and inscrutable providence, raised up and, through so 
many ages, preserved the Baptist denomination ? They 
have, in the divine economy, a momentous mission to 
fulfill. This mission, supposing their principles to be 
true, is perfectly clear. They are God^s witnesses to 
hear testimony against the corruption of his ordinances, 
and to restore them as they were delivered to the churches 
by the apostles. 



Mission of Baptists. ^Sg 

To the discussion of this high and sacred mission we 
consecrate the time remaining for this service, and invite 
you, hearers, to grant us your candid attention while we 
jDresent some points worth}^ of your profoimd considera- 
tion. 

I. It is an Important Mission. 

There is in all communities a prevailing disposition to 
make light of the distinctive principles and practices of 
Baptists. 

''Are they not among the non-essentials of religion?" 
*' What good can there be in immersion V^ " Can water 
wash away sin ?'' ''Is not a drop as good as an ocean T' 
"What harm can the sprinkling of an infant do ?'' "If 
infants are not fit for church membership, who are ?" 
"Are not all who are qualified for heaven fitted for com- 
munion at the Lord's table?'' "How can those who 
refuse to commune together on earth, hope to commune 
together in heaven?" We frequently hear these and 
similar questions propounded with the design of dis- 
paraging Baptist sentiments. Even Baptists themselves, 
generally supposed to be unduly zealous in the propaga- 
tion of their peculiar tenets, are but half awake to their 
importance. It might be a sufficient vindication of our 
cause, to affirm that, on all these points, we follow the 
teaching and example of Christ and his Apostles, as these 
are recorded in the Holy Scriptures. What they ordained, 
and preached, and practiced, must be worthy of supreme 
regard and the most careful observance, and cannot be 
neglected, perverted, or changed without marring the 
harmony of the divine plan, and injuring the souls of 
men. As in the natural, so in the spiritual kingdom, 
every deviation from the divine law is fraught with mis- 
chief. Can a man take fire into his bosom and not be 
burned ? Csm he disobey God and prosper ? 

But there is something more to be said on this subject 



jyo Mission of Baptists. 

The perversion of the ordinances has been the chief source 
of the corruption and reproach of Christianity. For 
proof of this position let ua examine the moral influence 
of infant baptism. To the superficial observer nothing 
seems more harmless than the sprinkling of a few drops 
of water on the forehead of a child, as a religious cere- 
mony ; but it appears far from harmless to those who 
carefully consider its tendency. By an immense major- 
ity of all who practice the rite, infants are believed to be 
'^regenerated, made members of the mystical body of 
Christ, and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven," in 
their baptism ; and this doctrine is held, not in a vague 
and figurative sense, but as a plain, vital, soul-saving 
reality. It is directly taught, or darkly hinted, that in- 
fants dying unbaptized are lost, or, at least, are left to 
the uncovenanted, and, therefore, uncertain mercies of 
God. Baptized children are instructed to believe that 
their spiritual condition is incomparably better than that 
of other children. These regenerated little ones, so soon 
as they attain to consciousness, find themselves members 
of the church, and, in virtue of this connection, invested 
with peculiar religious advantages. In spite of their 
pride, selfishness, anger, falsehoods, and waywardness 
they grow up in the church. For no vice or ungodliness 
are they excluded from it. Usually, at about the age of 
fourteen years, as a matter of course, and in virtue of 
their baptismal regeneration, they are catechised, con- 
firmed, and admitted into full communion with the 
church. Thus by infant baptism, and its kindred, un- 
scriptural rite of confirmation, all the profane, the licen- 
tious, and the sceptical in the community are initiated 
into the church, and become permanent members of it. 
From most communions they are afterward excluded, not 
for any impiety, but only for resistance to ecclesiastical 
authority. This blending of the church and the world 



Mission of Baptists. 371 

laid the fo andation for national hierarchies. The church 
no longer '^ called out" from the world — as in apostolic 
times, and as the term imports — and antagonistic to it, 
but imbued with its spirit, and governed by its policy was 
made subsidiary to human governments. For the sake 
of tithes, and perquisites, and rich endowments, she allied 
herself to the state, and gave her sanction to tyranny and 
oppression. The chaste spouse of Christ became " the 
mother of harlots and abominations of the earth." The 
incongruous and monstrous union of church and state 
gave birth to spiritual domination, laws of uniformity, 
religious intolerance, and relentless persecution. To this 
source we must trace the Inquisition, with its appalling 
corruptions, its refined cruelties, and its fearful mis- 
chiefs. It was this that kindled the fires of the auto dafe, 
and deprived the world of many of the noblest speci- 
mens of piety, wisdom, and moral heroism with which it 
has ever been adorned. 

It would be e^sy to show that the corruption of the 
Lord's supper has been an equally fruitful source of 
mischief, and a source of the most degrading superstition 
and the most revolting idolatry. 

We would do no injustice to any class of men, espe- 
cially any sect of Christians. All who practice infant 
baptism, do not run to the extreme which has been 
pointed out. Many are held in check by the counter- 
vailing influence of their piety and the truth which they 
embrace. They sow the seeds of evil which are fortu- 
nately prevented from germinating. Baptized infants 
are theoretically recognized as church members ; but 
practicall}^ in manj^ communions, they are treated as if 
they were not. They are not disciplined, nor permitted 
to commune at the Lord's table ; but are, in all respects, 
dealt with as if they were beyond the pale of the 
church. 



37^ Mission of Baptists. 

IS'or are the monstrous absurdities of transubstantia- 
tion, and its kindred evils, to be charged on Protestant 
Pedobaptists ; though some of them have grievously 
perverted the Lord's supper. 

To all these evils Baptist principles are directly and 
immutably hostile. A converted, baptized church 
membership is utterly irreconcilable with a national hier- 
archy. Other churches may be perpetuated by hereditary 
membership ; but a Baptist church can be preserved 
only by piety, constant activity, and frequent accessions 
by a- voluntary profession of faith and submission to 
baptism. Freedom of conscience underlies the Baptist 
system. If none are required, or even permitted, to 
enter the church, except such as make a voluntary pro- 
fession of faith in Christ, furnish evidence of their con- 
version, and are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, 
then, persecution for conscience' sake is impossible. A 
church, according to Baptist principles, is a perfectly vol- 
untary association, to which none can be properly admitted 
without piety and ba^otism, in w^hich none can be re- 
tained without their free consent, and by which no 
penalty can be inflicted beyond exclusion from its privi- 
leges. By these principles Baptists have been invaria- 
bly led to claim and to grant the fullest liberty of soul. 
In the maintenance of these principles, they are called, 
in the name of their Lord Kedeemer, to bear testimony 
against Pedobaptism, and all its affiliated evils, by 
their example and their ministry, with their tongues 
and with their pens. The importance of their mission 
is proportionate to the number, the magnitude and the 
power of the evils which it is their duty to oppose. 
When we cast our eyes over Catholic and Protestant 
Europe, and se.e how pervading, and deep, and ruinous 
are the mischiefs which have sprung from the perversion 
of the Christian ordinances, our mission rises, in our 



Mission of Baptists. 373 

estimation, to sublime moment. It is impossible to 
overstate its importance. We may well exclaim, '' Who 
is sufficient for these things ?'^ 

II. It is an unpopular mission. 

To testify against error is, always and everywhere, 
an ungrateful task. Never was a ministry more gentle, 
and kind, and winning than that of Jesus; and yet he 
said, " The world liateth me, because I testifj^ of it, that 
the works thereof are evil." The testimony is odious 
in proportion to the prevalence and popularity of the 
error which it assails, and the strength of the prejudices 
against the truth by which it is proposed to supplant 
that error. Both these considerations lend their influ- 
ence to increase the unpopularity of the Baptist mis- 
sion. 

Pedobaptism, apart from any question of its truth 
and importance, is a popular system. To say nothing 
of its sacred associations, infant aspersion is a pleasing 
ceremony. It appeals for its support to parental love ; 
the tenderest, strongest, and most enduring affection of 
the heart. What parent, not lost to humanity and god- 
liness, can withhold from his child so beautiful, so fitting 
and so common a ceremony ? Pedobaptism, too, is 
firmly intrenched in our popular literature. It is in- 
corporated in our works of fiction, artfully inculcated in 
our school books, and illustrated and commended by, 
beautiful paintings and engravings, suspended in the 
parlors of the rich, and in public halls. Then, too, it is 
enforced by the example of the good and the great, the 
refined and the learned, and admitted by the worldly 
and the refined to be a significant and im^^ressive rite. 
To all these attractix>ns must be added its supposed 
mysterious influence ; an influence not well defined nor 
well understood ; a regenerating influence, say most; a 
sealing influence, say others; an influence which, if it 
82 



374 Mission of Baptists. 

does not ensure religious benefits to its favored recip- 
ients, does, at least, in some way, increase the proba- 
bility of their salvation. And, to conclude, it is assumed 
that the interesting, even if not divinely sactioned rite, 
can do no harm. It is not surprising, then, that infant 
baptism should be prevalent, admired, and strongly 
defended. 

v On the other hand, the principles which it is proposed 
to substitute for pedobaptism are unpopular. Immer- 
sion, as a Christian ordinance, is repulsive to the w^orld. 
The restriction of communion at the Lord's table to 
church members, and the privilege of church member- 
ship to such as have been baptized on an intelligent and 
voluntarj^ profession of faith, have subjected, and will 
continue to subject, the denomination to the charge of 
sectarianism, bigotry, and inconsistency. In some com- 
munities, under favorable circumstances, their principles 
have secured a measure of popularity ; but, in general, 
and especially among the rich, the gay, the fashionable, 
and the learned, they have been distasteful. 

That the current of the world sets strongly against 
Baptist sentiments, we have many and decisive jproofs. 
We pass briefly over the evidence on this point fur- 
nished by the persecutions of Baptists, not only by 
Romanists, but by every dominant Protestant sect. 
Baptists are even now, in the light of the nineteenth 
century, watched, restrained, fined, imprisoned, out- 
lawed — accounted '^ the filth and ofi*scouring of all 
things''-— in most of the Protestant countries of Eu- 
rope. Not for their disloyalty, much less for their 
crimes, but simply for their principles, have they been 
put under the ban of governments and treated as felons. 

^e can furnish other, if less revolting, not less con- 
vincing, testimony in support of our position. The 
ritual of the Church of England positively enjoins bap- 



Mission of Baptists. 375 

tism by dipping, except in certified cases of sickness or 
debility ; and yet in the face of this unrepealed statute, 
and in opposition to the strong conservative tendency 
of that hierarch}^, sprinkling has almost universally 
supplanted dipping. Why this change of the rite ? It 
is an obvious yielding, not to the force of truth, or the 
authority of Christ, but to the current of popular taste. 
The same influence has effected in the Episcopal church, 
in this country, a change of the ritual in favor of 
sprinkling. Many ministers, who admit the validity 
of immersion, swayed by popular sentiment, exert their 
energies to j^revent the practice, and some, with strange 
inconsistency, ridicule it. 

The progress of Baptist principles has been mainly 
among the poor of this w^oiid. The rich and the great, 
with a few noble exceptions, have been repelled by them. 
Sometimes, Baptists, becoming rich, have gone into other 
communions to improve their social position and to in- 
crease their respectability. The children of wealthy 
Baptists occasionally stray, contrary to their convic- 
tions, into pedobaptist churches, to find more congenial 
society. We have known persons of high worldly po- 
sition, who, holding Baptist sentiments previously to 
their conversion, have, on professing faith in Christ, 
stifled their convictions, to unite with churches in which 
they have found, not better instruction, nor more piety 
and good works, but more refinement, fashion, and 
parade. It is certain that among the higher classes of 
society few have ever become Baptists, except under 
the constraining power of conscience : while those who 
have consulted their taste, convenience, or worldly ad- 
vantages, have usually selected other communions. 
There are many Baptists in pedobaptist churches who 
quiet their consciences by considerations of convenience 
and expediency. 



376 Mission of Baptists. 

The causes of the unpopularity of Baptist sentiments 
are partly incidental. They have been propagated and 
defended chiefly by ministers — intelligent, pious, and 
efficient, but wanting in the learning and accomplish- 
ments which, in the eyes of the Avorld, so highly com- 
mend a cause. Few persons have the discrimination 
and candor to distinguish between the advocate and 
his principles, or between appearances and reality. In 
addition to this, the Baptists have been greatly mis- 
represented by ignorance or prejudice, and these mis- 
representations have been varied to suit the popular 
tastes. At one time they were censured for believing 
that dying infants were saved without baptism ; at an- 
other, they are charged with making baptism essential 
to salvation. First, they were deemed unworthy to com- 
mune with the faithful; and then, they were accounted 
incurable bigots because they refused to commune with 
the unbaptized. Thousands firmly believe, and boldly 
assert, that the Baptists are the legitimate descendants 
of the ^' mad men of Munster ;'' but who these men 
were, or what were their principles, the accusers know 
not. 

But there are inherent as well as adventitious causes 
of opposition to Baptist sentiments. Immersion is in- 
convenient, and, to the carnal mind, repulsive and 
humiliating ; and no art in its administration can re- 
move the offence. It has ever provoked, and it ever 
will provoke, the sneers and scoffs of a proud and un- 
godly world. The reproach brought on Baptists by 
their views of the communion, is too well known to need 
proof. Their agreement with most of their Christian 
brethren of other denominations in the principle, that 
baptism, in the gospel order, precedes communion at 
the Lord's table— a principle that logicall}^ leads to re- 
stricted communion — seems in no degree to abate the 



Mission of Baptists. 377 

asperity with which Baptists are charged with bigotry 
and intolerance. 

In the light of these facts, it is easy to perceive that 
the mission of Baptists must be unpopular. In its ful- 
fillment they are called to place themselves in earnest, 
active opposition to the tastes, customs, prejudices, and 
to a considerable extent the erudition of the world ; and 
they may reasonably expect to provoke its displeasure, if 
they do not incur its contempt and its fierce persecu- 
tion. We must then make our calculation to have our 
testimony rejected, our motives impeached, our charac- 
ters assailed, and we should be thankful when we es- 
cape fines, imprisonment, and flames. 

III. It is a DIFFICULT MISSION. 

To disarm prejudice, to counteract popular senti- 
ment, to conciliate bigotr}^, to reduce the strongholds 
of error, and to disseminate offensive truth, demand 
consummate prudence, tact, and heroism. In this work, 
if in any, is needed the wisdom of the serpent, and the 
innocence of the dove. To this service Baptists are 
called ; and it is a delicate, arduous task. It is not to 
be eff'ected by the bitter denunciation or the indiscrimi- 
nate censure of other Christian denominations. We 
must give them due credit for their learning, piety, and 
good works. We should love them in proportion as 
they bear the image, and commend them in so far as 
they follow the example, of Christ. In our efforts to 
convince and reform them, we must not confound rude- 
ness with candor, nor severity with faithfulness. It is 
due to most of the Pedobaptist denominations in this 
countrj^ to admit that they are evangelical in sentiment, 
Christian in spirit, and fruitful in good works. We 
should, and we do, love them for the truth's sake. But 
still, it is our responsible and difficult mission to bear 
testimony against the errors which they mingle wi^h the 
32* 



378 Mission of Baptists. 

truth, and to warn them of the mischiefs which spring 
from these errors, and which, in other countries and in 
other times, have been so prevalent and fearful. We 
must bear this testimony, not offensively, but kindly, 
tenderly and faithfully, considering that the ''wrath of 
man works not the righteousness of God." We should 
preach ''the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the 
truth ;'' still, truth in its just proportions and beautiful 
symmetry, not putting the ordinances of the gospel in 
the place of the atoning blood of Christ or the sanctify- 
ing influence of the Holy Spirit, nor degrading them 
into unmeaning and useless ceremonies. JNTor naust we 
be soon wearied in our. appropriate work. Whether 
men will hear or refuse to hear, we must bear life-long 
witness to the ordinances as they were divinely given 
to the churches. We must put in requisition all our 
learning, and skill, and energ}^ and influence, to restore 
them to the churches in their apostolic simplicity and 
efficiency. And in this ministry, we are required to 
avoid whatever would tend to enfeeble our testimony 
and retard the progress of our principles. Our lives 
should be in harmony with them, evincing how highly 
we appreciate them, how thoroughly Ave are influenced 
by them, and how earnest we are in their diffusion. 
Whatever would blunt the edge of our testimon}^ we 
should studiously avoid. It is in this view that the im- 
portance of restricted communion in the Lord's supper 
is most apparent. By the almost universal consent of 
Christendom, baptism precedes church membership and 
communion. Were Baptists to commune with Pedo- 
baptists, they would be charged with admitting the 
validity of infant baptism — with gross inconsistency in 
so doing — and it is- not easy to see how the charge could 
be repelled. By limiting communion in the Lord's sup- 
per to church members, and church membership to 



Mission of Baptists. 379 

baptized believers, we maintain the consistencj'' of our 
testimony, and give it full force. 

Baptists have often been accused of giving undue 
prominence, in their ministry, to their distinctive senti- 
ments. If this accusation has been, at some times and 
in some places, true, it is far from being generally true in 
the present day. The very reverse is the fact. Whether 
from a conviction of the inherent power of their princi- 
ples, a lack of interest in their diffusion, or an unwill- 
ino:ness to wound the feelino;s of their brethren of other 
denominations, our ministers of late have rareh^ intro- 
duced these subjects into their sermons ; or, when they 
have done so, have given them a full and vigorous dis- 
cussion. This ought not so to be. Our profession, our 
sacred mission, the interests of truth and piety, and the 
honor of Christ, imperatively demand that we should, 
on all fit occasions, seek to restore the ordinances as 
they were delivered to the churches. 

lY. It is an encouraging mission. 

If the principles for which we plead are right, they 
must eventually prevail. They may be hated, opposed, 
by the wisdom and authority of the world, limited in 
their influence, and checked in their progress ; but they 
are indestructible and invincible. Neither the artifices 
nor power of enemies, nor the feebleness, indiscretions, 
and inconsistencies of friends, can prevent their final tri- 
umph. All the attributes of Jehovah are enlisted in 
their maintenance. He has revealed them to the world ; 
and the wisdom from which they emanated, the holiness 
with which they are stamped, the benevolence which 
shines through them, and the authority by which they 
are enforced, can be vindicated only by their ultimate 
success. " My word,'' says God, " shall not return unto 
me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and 
it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.'' 



380 Mission of Baptists. 

We take encouragement from the past history of our 
principles. They have lived and spread, from time im- 
memorial, in spite of priests, and popes, and kings, in 
the face of fines, and prisons, and tortures, and fires, 
yielding a noble army of heroes, confessors and mar- 
tyrs. And these achievements have been won, not by 
the advantages of wealth, and learning, and secular 
authority, but mostly by the toils, sacrifices, and suffer- 
ings of the poor and the illiterate, and by the inherent 
force of truths wholly uncongenial with depraved human 
nature. Principles which have made progress under 
such disadvantages, must be vital, vigorous, and aggres- 
sive, promising far more brilliant victories in the future 
than they have secured in the past. 

The United States is the only civilized country in 
which these principles have had free course. In all 
other lands they have been interdicted, or restrained by 
discriminating taxes, or have prevailed by mere suffer- 
ance. In this land they have found a congenial soil, 
and have flourished steadily, and without a parallel. 
This success appears, not only in the increase of the 
Baptist denomination in numbers, learning, and re- 
sources, but in the influence which their principles have 
exerted in other Christian denominations. Infant bap- 
tism, in defiance of the most strenuous efforts to defend 
and propagate it, has been gradually decreasing, rela- 
tively to the number of communicants, in^ perhaps, all 
Pedobaptist sects. The belief in the regenerating efla- 
cacy of infant baptism has been driven almost entirely 
beyond the pale of evangelical Christendom. Immer- 
sion, too, as Christian baptism, though ridiculed as 
superstitious and indecent, has won its way into all 
Pedobaptist churches, and their pastors have been con- 
strained to lead candidates for the ordinance "■ down 
into the water," or permit them to pass into Baptist 



Mission of Baptists. 381 

churches ; and they have usually preferred the former 
alternative. By this means, persons embracing our 
sentiments, though not consistently maintaining them, 
are to be found, not only in every Pedobaptist denomi- 
nation, but in almost ever}^ separate congregation of it. 

We do not expect all the world to become Baptists in 
name; but we do anticipate the gradual, steady and 
successful diffusion of our principles among all Chris- 
tian sects. If the progress of our denomination, in the 
future, should be in the same ratio as it has been in the last 
fifty years, many centuries will not have elapsed before 
the triumph of our principles throughout the world, will 
be complete. But may we not reasonably hope that our 
denominational progress will be accelerated ? If Bap- 
tists have accomplished so much in their poverty and 
weakness, amid reproach and persecutions, what may 
we not expect from them, with their schools, colleges, 
literature, and various organizations for the diffusion 
of the gospel and the advancement of the kingdom of 
Christ? It is not, however, on the resources and ac- 
tivities of the denomination that we chiefly rely for the 
spread of these principles ; but on the changeless pur- 
poses, the unbounded resources, and the inexhaustible 
grace, of their Divine Author. He cannot lack means 
for their diffusion. He can raise up Judsons, and 
Onckens, and Spurgeons, in every land, to disseminate 
and vindicate them ; and in the absence of human advo- 
cates, he can, by the gracious, potent, influence of his 
Spirit, so influence the hearts and minds of men, that 
they will discern these principles in the Bible, and cor- 
dially embrace and support them. 

We will conclude our discourse with a few practical 
remarks : 

First, If the views which have been presented are 



382 Mission of Baptists. 

correct, we see the folly of attempting to succeed in our 
mission hy courting the favor of the world. 

Pedobaptism, to a great extent, is conformed to the 
spirit of the world. It erects, at immense cost, its 
stately and beautiful houses of worship. The towers 
of its marble temples pierce the skies, and proclaim to 
admiring gazers the wealth, taste, and zeal of their 
builders. The internal arrangements of its churches 
are as splendid and luxurious as their exterior is grand 
and imposing. The carved pulpit, the softly cushioned 
pews, the crimson curtains, the tones of the solemn, 
high-sounding organ, the w^ell-drilled artistic choir, per- 
forming in operatic style-, combined vfith pleasing rites 
and finely polished sermons, to say nothing of elegant 
statuary and paintings, attract and interest the rich, 
the gay, the pleasure-loving, and the ambitious. Amid 
such displays religion becomes a matter of taste, and 
fashion, and pomp. To be a church-member is a mark of 
refinement, and the surest passport to the highest circles 
of society. Kising families find it expedient, in order 
to increase their respectability and influence, to have a 
pew in some church ; and in its selection they are usu- 
ally governed, not by a regard to truth or piety, or 
even convenience and cost, but by the attractions of the 
most splendid architecture, the most richly toned organ, 
the most fashionable congregation, or of worshipers, 
eminent for their learning, their fame or their social 
position. In their decision, the imperishable interests 
of their souls, which should wholly guide them, have 
little or no influence. 

Many Baptists, imbibing the spirit prevailing around 
them, have become dissatisfied with the plainness of 
their meeting-houses, the simplicity of their worship, 
and the comparative obscurity of their congregations. 
These brethren, mortified at the contrast between Pedo- 



Mission of Baptists. 383 

baptist splendor and Baptist simplicit}^, Lave sought to 
wipe off the fancied reproach, by emulating the sur- 
rounding sects in erecting fine churches, introducing 
costly organs and fashionable singing, and procuring 
eloquent and sensational pastors. But these aspirants 
have been doomed to disappointment. The current of 
the Y>^orid has continued to run in its usual channel. 
The rich, the fashionable and the gay, have found 
stronger attractions and more congenial services, else- 
where than in Baptist churches. Our distinctive prin- 
ciples, as we have seen, strongly repel this class of per- 
sons, and all our attempts at displa}^ have ordinarily 
failed to win them. We are thus taught the foll}^ of 
entering on a race in which we are sure to be out- 
stripped. It is possible, though not easy, for us to 
erect houses of worship as spacious, to rear steeples 
as lofty, to have pews as softly cushioned, music as 
artistic, and preaching as fascinating, as other churches ; 
but it is not possible for us to vie with them in prosely- 
ting the higher classes of societ}^, without an abandon- 
ment of our peculiar sentiments. Immersion, and a 
spiritual church-membership, will alwa3^s stand as insu- 
perable barriers to our popularity and worldly prosperity 

Secondly. It should not he to us a matter of surprise, 
moi^'tification or discouragement , that ive find our spliei^e 
of influence and usefulness chiefly among the poor and 
middling classes of society. 

The gospel, with its simple, touching ordinances, is 
designed for all mankind. It is offered to the rich as 
well as to the poor ; but it has generally won its great- 
est triumphs, and borne its richest fruits, among the 
latter class. While the rich and the great, with rare ex- 
ceptions, have spurned our distinctive principles, they 
have found a ready entrance and a hearty welcome 
among the common people. Supposing our ]3rinciples to 



384 Mission of Baptists. 

be true, this is precisely what might have been reason- 
ably anticipated. Christ was poor — was crucified by the 
world. He came to establish a spiritual kingdom, whose 
immunities are not for the rich, but for the humble — not 
for the great, but for the good — not for the gay, but for the 
self-den3dng — not for the earthly, but for the heavenl}^ 
Immersion is the gate to this kingdom. How perfectly 
it harmonizes with the nature of the kingdom that its en- 
trance should be narrow, not wide — difficult, not easy — 
repulsive to the proud and worldly, but attractive to the 
lowly and spiritually minded. Had Christ's kingdom 
been earthly, then, its gate had been higher and wider, 
and of beautiful architecture, and adorned with fes- 
toons. Some ceremony, fitted to impress the imagina- 
tion, gratify the taste, and nourish pride, had been 
adopted to allure the giddy and the gay, the aspiring 
and the great, to share in its congenial pleasures and 
glories. It would, no doubt, have come with '^observa- 
tion." But as the kingdom is heavenly, its initiating 
ordinance is wisely adapted to repel the carnal and 
worldly, but to attract and profit the penitent and 
devout. 

Who were brought into the kingdom in the beginning 
of the gospel dispensation ? Christ's ministry was 
mainly among the poor. The common people heard 
him gladly. '' Not many wise men after the flesh, not 
many mighty, not man^^ noble," were ''called." 

The Apostles were chosen, not from among the Scribes 
and Pharisees, the philosophers and rulers, but the 
fishermen and mechanics. The poor of this world were 
divinely selected to be rich in faith, and heirs of the 
kingdom of heaven. In the primitive age of Christian- 
ity, all was simple, unearthly, spiritual in the churches. 
^*But the Pharisees rejected the counsel of God against 
themselves, not being baptized of John." 



Mission of Baptists. 385 

Why then should we wonder or be troubled that the 
prevalence of our principles should be mainly among 
the lower classes of society ? This fact is no proof that 
they are false, but rather an indication of their truth. 
It should not grieve or dispirit, but rather strengthen 
and animate us. God has opened to us a wide door of 
usefulness. The common people hear us, as they heard 
the Master, gladly. They present far the most inviting 
and promising field of Christian usefulness. It is vast. 
In all countries, from the necessities of our physical and 
social nature, the poor must constitute the mass of 
society. They are far more accessible to the ministry 
of the Word than the wealthy and fashionable classes. 
The poor may be approached any where, and under any 
circumstances, without ceremony and without offence, 
by earnest and faithful servants of Christ. They are, 
too, raore likely than others to be profited by the gospel 
ministry. The love of the world — its riches, honors and 
pleasures — is the mightiest barrier to the progress of 
piety. '' How hardly shall they that have riches enter 
into the kingdom of heaven P' In all ages, the great 
body of sincere, self-denying and consistent Christians, 
has been found among the lower class of societ3^ Let 
us, then, thank God for the sphere of labor which his 
providence has so clearly marked out for us, take 
courage, and faithfully occupy it. 

Lastly. Let us awake to our solemn responsibility. 

God has called us to a great work ; has opened to us 
a wide sphere of usefulness; has committed to our 
hands a laborious task ; has laid upon us weighty obli- 
gations ; and if we would fulfill our glorious mission, we 
must be wide-awake and active. All our energies, all 
our gifts, all our resources, and all our influence, are 
demanded in the fulfillment of our task. The world is 
opposed to us. Our progress must be made against a 
33 



386 Mission of Baptists. 

strong current, and by continual and vigorous efforts. 
We should heal our divisions, consolidate our ranks, 
and present to our opponents an unbroken front. Our 
operations should be concentrated or isolated, as m^y 
best promote our Kedeemer's cause. Let us have no 
squeamishness about proselyting. It is our vocation. 
To proselyte sinners to Christ, and believers to the 
whole system of divine truth, is our solemn mission. 
We should seek to convert the whole world to Baptist 
principles, not by any sophistry, or any motives ad- 
dressed to vanit}^ or selfishness, but by a kind, honest, 
and earnest exhibition of God^s truth. By this course, 
whether we are successful or unsuccessful in the diffu- 
sion of our sentiments, we shall merit and receive the 
praise of keeping the ordinances as they were delivered 
by the Apostles, and '' so an entrance shall be ministered 
unto'^ us '* abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.'' Amen. 



XYII. 
THE RELATION OF THE CHURCH AND THE BIBLE. 



By E. G. EO BINS ON, D.D., 

Professor in the Rochester Theological Seminary. 



" As FOR ME, THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, SAITH THE LORD ; My SpIRIT THAT 
IS UPON THEE, AND MY WORDS WHICH I HAVE PUT IN THY MOUTH, SHALL NOT DEPART 
OUT OF THY MOUTH, NOR OUT OF THE MOUTH OF THY SEED, NOR OUT OF THE MOUTH 
OF THY seed's SEED, SAITH THE LORD, FROM HENCEFORTH AND FOR EVER. — Isaiah 
lix. 21. 

It was by the special agency of the Holy Spirit that 
the truths of the Bible were communicatecl to men. The 
truths thus communicated, as well as the Spirit by whom 
they were conveyed, was to be the inalienable possession 
of the church. The Holy Spirit, dwelling in the church 
as its Divine Sanctifier and Guide, was to preserve and 
perpetuate its life to the latest generation, while the 
divine truths which he had intrusted to the church were 
never to ^^ depart out of its mouth,'' but were to consti- 
tute at once the means of its own preservation and the 
message from God which it must deliver to the race. 
Confining ourselves at this hour to the office of the 
church as the guardian of the Bible and the herald of 
its teachings to man, let me invite your attention to the 
relation of the Church and the Bible. 

The subject is not a trivial one. What the relation is, 
is a question to which it is not a matter of indifference 
what answer is made. It underlies the whole broad do- 

(38t) 



388 Relation of the Church and the Bible. 

main of modern theology. N^ot onl}^ does the ever re- 
newing controversy between Komanism and Protestant- 
ism turn on it, but there can be no comprehensive dis- 
cussion of any one of the great questions of Apologetics, 
which does not assume some sort of answer to it. Every 
new phase of modern Scepticism is turned toward it. 
The doctrine of Inspiration involves it. Church History 
from its very outset must build on some kind of theory 
of it. Dogmatic Theology, to be properly analyzed and 
intelligently defended in any one of its great cardinal 
doctrines, must distinctly recognize it. 

The theme proposed is also closely connected with 
the theological parties and controversies of our day. 
The religious thinking now prevalent, may be ranged 
under three general divisions — the High Church, the 
distinctively Protestant, and the Rationalistic. Between 
these three parties there rages a triangular conflict. The 
point in dispute is to what, in religion, shall we appeal 
as ultimate authorit}^ ? With consistent high churchmen 
of the Romish school, the Bible is a subordinate book — 
the church, by which is meant the hierarchy with the 
Pope at its head, is sole arbitress in religion. With in- 
consistent high churchmen of the Anglican schism (the 
most sectarian of all the sects), the church and the Bi- 
ble are in a state of perpetually disturbed equilibrium. 
Distinctive Protestantism holds forth its traditional 
motto: " The Bible the religion of Protestants :" and in 
its use of the Bible it has often but too plainly forgotten 
that one clearly marked and divinely appointed office of 
the church, is to stand side by side with the Bible, as 
the visible body of the invisible Christ, as the manifest 
dwelling-place on earth of the saving power of the living 
God ; and more than all, in its unceasing, and sometimes 
unmeaning iteration of its motto, it has but too evidently 
given some show of reason for Coleridge's blundering 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 389 

and most unfortunate charge of bibliolatry. Rational- 
ism, rejecting the authority of both church and Bible, 
asserts most positively the competency of man to sit in 
judgment on the authority of both. Its highest authority 
is human reason. 

The growth of the last named party, the Rationalist, 
is one of the notable signs of our times. There is no 
disguising the fact of its rapid encroachment on the ex- 
tremes of both the other parties. The number and 
variety of its accessions are startling, but indisputable. 
How much the demand both from Romanism and Pro- 
testantism for an unthinking submission to ecclesiastical 
authority has had to do with its progress, we need not 
now stop to inquire. We here have to do only with the 
fact of its progress. How shall it be stayed ? Shall w^e 
decry reason, and deny to it any office in religion ? 
Shall w^e with high churchmen insist with renewed em- 
phasis on the prerogatives of the hierarchy, and re-de- 
mand, on the pains and penalties of a future world, an 
unreasoning acceptance of canons and dogmas ? Or, 
following the traditions of the English pulpit, since the 
birth of English Deism, shall we denounce all use of rea- 
son in religion, as leading to heresy and imperiling the 
soul ? Or, obeying the latest rule prescribed, shall our 
reason guide us in examining the evidences of a divine 
revelation, but its presence be scrupulously abjured, 
the moment we come to an examination of the truths 
with which revelation addresses us ? But to what does 
revelation address itself, if not to our reason and our 
conscience ? In the name of reason, for what was rea- 
son given us if not to be employed on the highest thoughts 
and the noblest ends that can engage our attention ? Is 
it not enjoined upon us by the Most High, that we 
'^ prove all things, and hold fast that" only ''which is 
good." Because we decline the invitation of Rationalism, 
33* 



390 Relation of the Church and the Bible. 

to go behind revelation and assert a priori what it 
must contain if it be from God, shall we therefore stultify 
ourselves by assuming that faith severed from reason, 
that belief unthinking and unintelligent, can ever be any 
thing else than credulity ? Naj^, nay ! for traditional 
Churchism and for traditional Protestantism, as well as 
for callow Rationalism, there remains but one safe and 
abiding resource, and that is the church and the Bible 
— the Bible as understood and believed in, not by Hier- 
archies; Councils, and Popes, but as understood and be- 
lieved in, and scientifically expounded by the universal 
and divinely sanctified reason of the church of the 
living God. 

And by what has just been said it will have been made 
evident in what sense the words Church and Bible are 
to be used in this discussion. The word Bible may 
denote the letter of the canonical Scriptures, or it may 
be used in the wider sense of a supernatural revela- 
tion from God, It is in the wider sense that we hei^e use 
it ; and it may also be said in passing, that throughout 
these remarks it is assumed that the Bible is a revela- 
tion from God by the Holy Spirit, who is at the same 
time the ever-indvY^elling Paraclete and Sanctifier of the 
church. But the word Church has many and very 
diff'erent senses. With these senses we have here no other 
concern than to say, that it is not of the church as dis- 
tinctively visible or invisible that we now speak. Cer- 
tainly it is not the visible organization represented and 
perpetuated only by its ^' fertile hierarchy" and ruled over 
by the ''vicar of Christ," that is here intended. But 
by the church, we mean that vast body of believers, 
who, through all time, by whatever name distinguished, 
under whatever ecclesiastical constitution existing, 
whether blessed or accursed of popes and favored or 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 391 

frowned on by rulers, have adhered with fidelity to Christ 
alone, as at once their Saviour and their Lord. 

Now between the church (as thus defined) and. the 
Sacred Scriptures, there has existed from the beginning 
a relation as indissoluble as that of thought and being. 
In unfolding this relation, let us notice, 

I. The relation of chronological precedence. The 
Komanist assumption is, that the church preceded the 
Bible. The Protestant affirmation is that the Bible 
preceded the church. The point is still in controversy. 
The latest writer on the Roman side, Archbishop 
Manning, has rediscussed it with notable vigor. But 
neither theory seems to be exclusively true. The church 
and the Bible were coeval in their origin. 

The question maybe looked at historically. We may 
view the church in its widest latitude of meaning ; we 
may grant what some have affirmed, that it antedated 
Moses — that its origin was with Abraham. In one view 
of it, it is easy to distinguish chronologicall}^ between 
the origin of the divine promise which Abraham believed, 
and the origin of that divine life in the heart of Abraham 
which made him at once the nucleus of the so called 
Jewish Church, and ''the father of the faithful.'' In an- 
other view of it, the promise could be truly recognized 
as a revelation from God, and so become a part of the 
word of God, only when, through the creative Spirit, 
the religious life in the soul of Abraham had made him 
capable of recognizing and avowing it as a promise from 
God. It was through Abraham inspired and Abraham 
renewed, that so much truth as was revealed to him and 
believed by him, was communicated to men. The truth 
and his heart, like seed and the soil, were prepared for 
each other. In him the Bible and the church were co- 
existent and coeval. 

Or pass we down to the origin of the New Testament 



2^2 Relation of the Church and the Bible. 

and of the Christian Church. Christ gathered his apos- 
tles about him and imparted, as rapidly as their igno- 
rance and prejudices would admit, the principles and 
spirit of the new kingdom. Three years and a half the 
Lord of life was their unwearied teacher. And with 
what results ? Let us see. After two 3^ears or more 
had elapsed, after th6 Sermon on the Mount had been 
delivered, the Transfiguration witnessed, and the com- 
ing Passion and Resurrection re-announced, we find the 
apostles, their minds occupied with traditional notions 
of a temporal kingdom of the Messiah, in earnest dis- 
pute about their individual pre-eminence in the new em- 
pire. Another year passed ; the last judgment had been 
depicted ; the mysterious glory of their master had be- 
come more distinctly visible ; and now we find two of 
the three disciples who had been admitted to the closest 
intimacy with their Lord, turning the fond love of their 
mother to personal account, and preferring through her 
the request that the first two posts of honor in the new 
kingdom should be promised to them. And so, again, 
after the dread scenes of the Crucifixion and the Resur- 
rection, even during their last interview with the risen 
Lord, we see in the question, '' Wilt thou at this time 
restore again the kingdom to Israel ?" how deeply their 
minds had. been imbued with the gross notions of their 
times. 

But granting now all that can be claimed of miscon- 
ception on the part of the apostles, admitting them to 
have strangely misunderstood the words, the spirit, and 
the aim of the great Teacher, yet who will venture to 
aflSrm that he had not imparted to them the saving 
power of his gospel ? Surely he is a bold man who dare 
afiirm of the apostles, that had they died between the 
Resurrection and Pentecost, they must have died as un- 
believers. But if the apostles, with all their crude no- 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 393 

tions were essentially believers ; if the one hundred and 
twent}^ disciples in that upper chamber were, to all in- 
tents and purposes, the true church of Christ ; then the 
true church may exist with even very imperfect concep- 
tions of its supreme Lord and of his truth ; and more 
than all, the origin of the church was not preceded, in 
any just sense of language, by our ISTew Testament Scrip- 
tures. And yet, on the other hand, the apostles did have 
some just conception of what the Lord had taught them, 
of what he had promised and of what he had done for 
them, and inseparably connected with their conceptions 
was their faith in him as the Messiah, and that divine 
life which made them indissolubly his. Confused and 
imperfect as were their views, they were not absolutely 
false. Within the facts and principles of which their 
association with Christ had made them possessors, la}^, 
germinally, the whole system of truth now expanded and 
embodied in the New Testament. 

This question of origin may also be looked at in an- 
other light. A slight clue to the right answer to it may 
be found in the relation of faith and regeneration in the 
individual believer. Some have maintained that faith 
must distinctly precede regeneration. A gracious re- 
newal of the soul, it is affirmed, can be effected only by 
the instrumentality of divine truth ; and truth, it is said, 
can only be effective in the soul through that apprehen- 
sion of it which is denominated faith. Others, on the 
other hand, have maintained that faith is more an act or 
state of the heart than of the understanding ; that the 
exercise of faith presupposes a renewed heart ; that there 
can be no saving trust in a principle or a person with 
which or with whom we are not already in sj^npathy. 
But between these two explanations, as thus stated, we 
may be unwilling to choose. It is very far from evident 
that faith and a new heart can be thus divided in theii 



394 Rel3.tion of the Church and the Bible. 

origin. It is plain that trusting and loving must always 
coexist. Christ can be trusted in, onl}^ by one who has 
already felt him to be trustworthy ; and he can be felt to 
be trustworthy only by one who is already heartily believ- 
ing on him. 

JN'ow what is thus true in the relation of truth and a 
new heart in the individual believer, is true of the rela- 
tion of divine truth and the whole body of believers. 
The divine life of the Christian and the divine power of 
truth were a simultaneous communication. They sprang 
from one and the same creative act. They dwelt together 
in the person of Christ. They were communicated by 
one ^and the same process from Christ to his personal 
disciples. The mysterious virtue, the hidden but organ- 
ific principle of life that went out of him upon his disci- 
ples, transforming their hearts, and bringing them with- 
in the great brotherhood of believers, went only by the 
vehicle of thought. Strange as were the misconceptions 
of the first disciples, gross as was their misunderstand- 
ing of the words of their Lord when first they heard them, 
and alloyed as was their earliest regard for him, there 
was yet enough of truth in their conceptions and of love 
in their regard, to attach them imalterably to his person 
and his service. The justness of their conceptions and 
the purity of their love were always commensurate. 
Truth and life, the Bible and the church, were coeval 
and coexistent in their hearts. That life was deepened 
and purified, and that truth was expounded and syste- 
matized at Pentecost ; the life taking to itself a body 
which it organized into fitness to its ends, and the truth 
being gathered up into an organic w^hole, the church 
and the Bible have descended along the centuries the 
united and indissoluble gift of God to men. And in this 
lescent — 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 



39S 



II. The Church and the Bible have been mutually 
\ reservative. Each has been exposed to its own peculiar 
perils, and each has ever found in the other its needed 
protection. 

To the Scriptures there has been exposure to the peril 
of corruption of text and of canon. Heretical leaders 
began at a very earl}^ period to further their designs by 
mutilation and forgery. No merely human writings 
were ever subjected to such trials as the Xew Testament 
has survived. No such passions and motives ever 
prompted to a tampering with other authors, as have 
prompted to a mutilation of the writings of Matthew 
and Luke and Paul. No such ends as heretics had to 
gain ever prompted to forgery in the name of philoso- 
pher or secular historian. And j'et the New Testament 
has come down to us with a purity of text, which, with 
all the paraded variations of reading, is simply a marvel 
of accuracy. 

There was also the peril of loss. Single churches were 
broken up and scattered by persecution. The Christians 
of whole provinces were hunted down like beasts of prey. 
The danger was imminent that, through fear or neglect, 
the precious and dangerous documents in their posses- 
sion should be left to perish. Some of them seem to 
have passed into oblivion. Where are those ''many'' 
gospels of which Luke speaks in the introduction to his ? 
Where that first Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians to 
which he evidently refers in that which is the first Epis- 
tle of our canon ? Indeed, it is natural to suppose that 
the apostles, throughout the lengthened and diversified 
years of their trials and labors, with the care of all the 
churches on their minds, may have written other epistles 
of which no traces have been preserved. Is not the 
bountiful hand of the all-giving God everywhere scatter- 
ing ten thousand seeds of which his watchful Providence 



396 Relation of the Church and the Bible. 

preserves but here and there one for reproduction ? 
Shall we wonder, then, that out of the literature of the 
apostolic period the watchful providence of the same 
bountiful God has preserved to us no more than is con- 
tained in our canon ? Shall not our wonder be, not that 
any gospel or epistle of the apostolic age has perished, 
but that just so many as, and no more than, we possess, 
have come down to us ? Shall we not wonder that only 
four of those gospels, each in itself a fragment, and writ- 
ten by men so dissimilar in endowments and so widely 
removed from each other, have reached us, and yet that 
these four should unitedly present us a picture so many 
sided and so faultlessly complete; and wonder, further- 
more, that of the various epistles, written by men wholly 
unlike in type of mind and in temperament, just so many 
should have been preserved to us as mutually supplement 
each other, and, in combination, furnish a totality of 
doctrine commensurate with the wants of the race? 

But to whom was the work of selection and preserve* 
tion committed ? Certainly not to the apostles. Even 
tradition fails to ascribe to them this office. Nor yet 
was the delicate task intrusted to the unguided wisdom 
of any man or body of men. Doubtless the Omniscient 
Mind that prompted the writings, controlled their destiny ; 
but by what agency ? Was it by bishops and popes, by 
synods and councils? But before these had apjpeared 
on the stage the canon had already been virtually com- 
pleted. They formally recognized and endorsed what 
had already been determined by the great brotherhood 
of believers. The universal church, ruled by its Divine 
Head, unerringly judging by a divine instinct, quietly, 
slowly, infallibly, perhaps almost unconsciously, selected, 
preserved and carefully transmitted just. so much of the 
sacred literature intrusted to it, as the Omniscient Mind 
saw to be needed by it. 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 397 

To the Scriptures, on the other hand, has been 
assigned the reciprocal task of protection to the church. 
Exposed to the perils of superstition and fanaticism, of 
corruption of morals and of clerical despotism, some 
authoritative guidance was indispensable to the church's 
existence. 

One of the first products in the heart of the Christian 
is zeal in the service of his Master. But zeal gathers 
strength by expenditure. Reacting on itself it redoubles 
its own energy. Unenlightened, it becomes indifferent 
or blind to everj^ object but the one of which it is in pur- 
suit. Unrestrained by law, it speedily degenerates into 
superstition or fanaticism. As superstition, it taints 
all it looks upon, and breathes blight and mildew on all 
that is beautiful in nature and in grace. It shrivels the 
soul, torturing it with diseased fancies and driving it 
before ghostly spectres. As fanaticism, it not only 
screams over its idols, it rushes on society in Quixotic 
attempts at the removal of evils which in human socie- 
ties must continue remediless. It grows impatient at 
the delays of an unhasting Providence ; and, vehement 
in its imprecations on unhelping fellows, would pull 
down the heavens in its hot haste. The Bible only can 
exorcise its foul spirit. 

Christianity, also, originates a new moral life in the 
soul ; a life that, to be vigorous, must be progressive ; 
and to be progressive, must be healthful ; and, to be 
healthful, must be sustained by its native aliment. That 
aliment is revealed truth. Unnurtured by truth, its 
course is short and its end certain. It is not self-sus- 
tained in the human heart. It must have both inward 
alliance and outward support. Left to itself, attracting 
the humors of an unsanctified nature, it speedily appears 
in unseemly and cancerous blotches on the character. 
Following the guidance of tradition, its way is short and 
34 



2gS Relation of the Church and the Bible. 

easy into deadly formalism, or still more deadly Jesuit- 
ism. 

There is also the peril of clerical tyranny. The or- 
ganization of believers into permanent societies and the 
setting forth of the worthiest to be leaders and adminis- 
trators of affairs, is both a natural requirement and a 
divine provision of Christianity. But history has shown 
an irresistible proneness in leaders to lord it over the 
led, and in the people to submit to their usurpations. 
Of this no ecclesiastical body has furnished its exception. 
The rulers of the church, beginning with by-laws at first 
few and simple, gradually losing sight of the Bible as 
their only Book of Statutes, have come in due time to 
appeal to ecclesiastical precedents, to canons, to di- 
rectories, and books of discipline as authorities from 
which there is no appeal. Ecclesiastical traditions have 
usurped the place of the ''life-giving oracles'' of God. 
The functions of the spiritual overseer have been changed 
into the functions of a privileged dictator. For the au- 
thority of Christ and his truth have been substituted the 
authority of office and ecclesiastical custom. The gov- 
ernment that should ground itself in love and conviction 
of right, has been perverted into a despotism that com- 
mands but gives no reason. 

And to such usurpations and perversions of authority 
the one safeguard is now, as it always has been, the ver- 
nacular Bible in the hands of the laity. Revealed truth 
individualizes its reader — seeks out and confronts the 
personal conscience, announcing to the soul its one Lord 
and Master, to whom, and to whom alone, it must stand 
or fall. The Bible in the hands of the laity, whether in 
the valleys of Piedmont, in the glens of Scotland, or on 
the hill-sides of New England, soon diffuses an atmo- 
sphere which no clerical despotism can long survive. 
The Scriptures, though reaching the people only through 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 399 

traditional and liturgical interpretations in favor of 
priestly domination, must in due time generate an inde- 
pendence of both thought and life, which will hrook 
neither despotism in the clergy nor lifeless routine in re- 
ligious worship. It requires no prophetic eye to foresee 
the future of that ecclesiastical body or nation which, 
putting into the hands of its children, diligently teaches 
them to read, that Book, the simplest and profoundest 
teachings alike of which, demand that every one shall 
reflect and decide for himself. The Bible has but just 
begun to reveal something of that mighty power, which 
it is yet to wield when, with its divine intelligence, it 
shall ha¥e irradiated the mind of the universal church. 

]N'or need we look with misgiving to the future thus 
opening before the church. Commotion and conflict 
undoubtedl}^ await us. Even now no authority stands 
unchallenged, no tradition passes unquestioned. The 
Bible itself has been arraigned at the bar of criticism. 
But alas for the critics and the wisdom of man ! Never, 
since the last apostle laid down his pen, has the grasp 
of the Bible on the conscience of the church and the 
world been firmer or more controlling than at this hour ; 
never the moral life of the church purer or deeper; 
never its type of piety nobler ; never its aggressions on 
the kingdom of darkness more decisive and rapid. And 
in reaching their present positions — 

III. The Church and the Bible have been mutually in- 
terpretative. 

The Bible has been progressively intelligible. Each 
portion of it, primarily addressed to the generation 
contemporary with its author, had yet in it a deeper 
meaning for the generations to come. Our Lord was 
misunderstood by his apostles until after the miracle of 
Pentecost ; and after eighteen hundred years we are 
still poring over the meaning of both the gospels and the 



400 Relation of the Church and the Bible. 

epistles. To unfold that meaning, and by unfolding to 
develop its own strength and resources, has been one 
most important function of the church. 

The facts and words of revelation, we are never to for- 
get, are completed ; are as immutable as the unchangea- 
ble One who speaks in them. But their meaning, like 
their Infinite Author, is inexhaustible. JSTo one genera- 
tion can gauge it. ISFo one formulary can exhaustively 
represent it. Certain formularies, we know, have been 
regarded by their adherents as completely embodying it. 
These have been appealed to as ultimate standards. 
Simple dogmas have been set up as final statements of 
doctrine ; as if any divine fact or truth could be exhaust- 
ively measured by finite minds ; as if any single genera- 
tion of an ever advancing race could fix on a final for- 
mula ; as if there could be an ultimate dogma in theology. 

Let history here teach us. First came the Apostles^ 
Creed, of the framing of which the apostles were as inno- 
cent as we are. Then, after sharp dispute and bitter 
controversy, came the Mcene Creed. In due time, and 
as the result of fiery discussion, followed the so-called 
Creed of Athanasius. Ecclesiastical despotism then 
wielded its iron sceptre through dreary centuries, in 
which, what the hierarchy dictated the church unques- 
tioningly accepted. At length the Reformation dawned ; 
Protestantism ranged itself into the two divisions of 
Lutheran and Reformed ; and for two generations creeds 
multiplied faster than the generations of men. 

Now, of these creeds, each had its peculiar defects 
and its peculiar merits. Each bears traces of the 
idiosyncrasies of its author and its time. Each is a 
measurement of the Christian intelligence and experi- 
ence of its subscribers. And to the contents and form 
of each, all the intellectual and moral forces of the Chris- 
tian centuries had contributed. Not a Christian martyr 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 401 

had died for his faith ; not a Christian preacher had 
sighed and prayed and found his way into the life and 
-liberty of the gospel ; not a commentator had pondered 
the letter of the Holy Scriptures, but contributed each 
his share. IS'ot a theological controversy had arisen, 
not a religious war had been waged, not a heres}^ had 
been propounded, not a new sect had been originated, 
not a Christian enterprise inaugurated, that did not 
contribute to that understanding of Scripture, and that 
elucidation of its truths, out of which the creeds of 
Christendom have sprung, and which made their con- 
struction a necessit}^ Each generation has entered 
into the labors of all that preceded it. 

Archbishop Whately, in one of his '' Essays on the 
Peculiarities of the Christian Religion," discusses the 
question w^hy the JN'ew Testament contains no creed or 
articles of faith. Many good reasons are given for the 
omission. But to the weightiest reason of all there 
occurs no allusion. That reason was one of necessity, 
rather than of design. A creed was omitted because, 
speaking reverently, it could not be written. One could 
be written, only w^hen the church, by discussion and 
trial and experience, had thought out, and felt out the 
significancy of the facts on which it had been built. A 
creed, or compend of doctrinal beliefs, is to the facts 
of the Bible to which it must refer, what a syllabus of 
scientific principles is to the facts of nature whose 
principles it embodies. But compend and syllabus 
alike, could be formed only after long years of investiga- 
tion, reflection, experiment, and experience. From the 
beginning until now, the church has been perpetually 
revolving in her consciousness the facts of revelation, 
scrutinizing and praying over their significancy, and 
declaring her convictions in creeds and in ten thou- 
sand beneficent activities. 
34* 



402 Relation of the Church and the Bible. 

So, on the other hand, the Bible has been the inter- 
preter of the church. The church is a unique institu- 
tion, animated by a spirit and working by methods 
■which are exclusively its own. Brought into being by 
omnipotent grace, sustained through trials which no 
institution of man could survive, the source and the 
nature of its inner life have been to the uninitiated an 
unceasing puzzle. Its own life is to itself a mystery, 
without the explanations that are furnished in the sacred 
Scriptures. 

The great problem of Scepticism has been, as it still 
is, to account for the origin and continuance of the 
church by some other means than that of divine inter- 
position. Innumerable solutions have been propounded ; 
but the one explanation that outlives them all, surviving 
criticism and refuting it b}^ its survival, is the book 
that records tbe divine teachings and events amid which 
the church took its origin. To man it is a mystery 
that the church could be established only in and by the 
death of its founder ; that its members and strength 
could be increased only by the persecution and disper- 
sion of its members ; that its glory and power in the 
earth must ever be in proportion to its independence of 
the state, and its exclusion of all earthly reliance. He 
who would understand the origin and methods of the 
church, must look for them in the New Testament 
Scriptures. 

So also of that inner life which animates the church; 
its explanation to the world is to be found in the New 
Testament alone. The same mind, alloyed it may be 
by the spirit of this world, but still in kind the same 
mind, is in the church that was in its Divine Founder 
and Lord. The zeal, the patience, the endurance, the 
self-sacrifice, the unshrinking devotion, the Christian 
heroism that has characterized the church in every age. 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 403 

have had their origin, not in fanaticism, not in tradi- 
tion, not in memorials of the heroic, but in him of whom 
we read in the gospels, and who directed his apostles 
both in their acts and in their epistles. The church 
approximates in degree to the divine life of its Lord, 
just in proportion to the intimacy of its acquaintance 
wHh that book throuoli w^hich the knowledo;e of his will 

O CD 

is communicated and the energy of his life is imparted. 
It is in the Bible alone that we find explanation of the 
hidden life of the ideal church. 

And it is also by recurrence to the Bible alone, that 
the church can understand herself. Her own inward 
voice is intelligible to her own ear, only as interpreted 
according to the sacred Scriptures. Her own con- 
sciousness becomes clear or confused, in proportion to 
her acquaintance with the written word. The life that 
animates her, and the doctrines by which that life is 
both expounded and measured, are intelligible and de- 
fensible to herself only by recurrence to those biblical 
facts from which they sprung. And thus in connection 
with this office of mutual interpretation, emerges at this 
point the — 

lY. Office of mutual corroboration of the contents of 
each other's records. The evidence which establishes 
the authenticity of the Scripture records does not prove 
the trustworthiness of their contents. Sceptics who 
admit the genuineness of the writings, sometimes deny 
the veracity or the critical sagacity of the writers. The 
corroboration of Scripture facts, therefore, is no slight 
service, and this service is rendered by the church. 

Of the facts recorded in the Bible, none have been so 
virulentl}^ assailed, none so offensively scouted, as its 
miracles. The elaborate arguments once adduced to 
prove their non-occurrence, are now abandoned for the 
short and easy assumption of their impossibility. So 



404 Relation of the Church and the Bible. 

violent has been this hostility to a belief in them, that 
they have been regarded by some as even an incum- 
brance to Christianity. But they are an integral part 
of it. The gospel and its miracles cannot be dissociated. 
Christianity, if a supernatural revelation, is itself a 
miracle, and supernatural phenomena were its natural 
accompaniments. 

In the defense of miracles it is idle to parley — impos- 
sible to distinguish between the probable and the im- 
probable. All stand or fall together. But select, if 
you will, that which, in itself considered, is the most 
improbable among them — the greatest and most won- 
derful of their number — the last and climax of the series 
— the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Inasmuch 
as the greater always includes the less, if the fact of the 
resurrection can be established, the credibility of the 
whole series must follow. But of the fact of the resur- 
rection, the verv existence of the Christian Church is 
incontestable evidence. Without that fact the origin of 
the church is not only unaccountable, but contrary to 
all known relation of cause and effect. 

Picture to yourselves the apostles and disciples when 
the sad truth first came home to them that their Mas- 
ter was dead and buried. They had trusted in him as 
the one ''which should have redeemed Israel." They 
were sure they had seen in him the evidences of the 
great Messiah. All manner of diseases had been healed 
at his word ; demons had fled at his presence ; the winds 
and the waves had obeyed him; universal nature had 
recognized him as her Lord ; from the heavens, legions 
of angels had onl}^ waited his bidding to sweep down to 
his aid. And yet this Lord of all had been arrested, 
tried, condemned, and, like any other helpless criminal, 
had been publicly executed. As if in an instant the 
whole fabric of their day-dreams had vanished. The ex- 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 405 

tinction of their hopes was complete, their disappoint- 
ment overwhehning. Their Master dead, and buried, 
they were themselves marked men. They fled in dismay, 
each to his own home."^ On the third day it was whis- 
pered, '^ The Master is risen.'' Gliding from their 
homes, they stealthily assembled.']' Suddenly '' Jesus 
stood in the midst,'' and, ''then were they glad when 
they saw the Lord." Slowly emboldened by the grow- 
ing evidence that the Lord was ''risen indeed," one 
hundred and twenty disciples gathered at last in open 
assemblage. Pentecost came, and the Christian Church 
was forever established. The disappointed and af- 
frighted apostles w^ho had fled for their lives, now 
challenged rulers with their bold words, " Whether it be 
right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more 
than unto God, judge ye." But for the resurrection of 
Christ from the dead, there had been no Christian 
Church, and, but for the Christian Church, it had not 
been possible to establish his resurrection beyond a 
cavil. As it is, no fact in history is so well authenti- 
cated as that " Christ died for our sins, was buried, and 
that he rose again on the third day according to the 
Scriptures." 

The Scriptures, in return for this service of the 
church, are equally explicit in their confirmation of the 
contents of its records. Among their diversified records 
none is worthier of our attention than its Relio-ious and 
Theological Literature. It is here that we may trace 
the course of its deepening life and its progressive 
apprehension of truth. Enter this literature at what- 
ever point you choose, the indubitable signs of its origin 
present themselves. Follow this literature back from 
our day to its sour/^,e, and its growth is found to have 



- John xvi. 32. f John xx. 19. 

35 



4o6 Relation of the Church and the Bible.. 

been organically complete. Its epochs are all known 
to us. Every foreign influence to which it has been 
exposed has been critically examined. The history of 
no literature was ever so thoroughly investigated ; the 
origin of none more clearly demonstrable. No man 
disputes that its beginning was in the teachings of 
Jesus. 

Select, now, any one of the great doctrines embodied 
in this literature ; take one, if you please, against which 
the opposition has been most violent and uncompromis- 
ing — the doctrine of the Trinit3^ At no period of the 
church does this doctrine, in some form, fail to meet 
you. Disputants have wrangled long over the terms 
that should express it, and diversified formulas have 
been adopted. The extraneous influence on the dispu- 
tants are all easily traced ; but the doctrine itself, like 
the life and consciousness of the church, has existed 
continuously from the beginning. Its origin was in 
the facts of the gospels. The Christians in Bithynia, 
at the beginning of the second century, singing hymns 
to Christ as God, were but the lineal continuators of 
that vast throng whose voice throughout the Scriptures, 
from Pentecost to the close of the apocalyptic visions, 
is heard resounding in ever swelling anthems of praise 
to Christ as '' King of Kings and Lord of Lords." 
What the first Christians began and the Bithynian 
Christians continued, Christendom has perpetuated. 
Throughout the hymnology of the church, like an un- 
broken thread, runs the recognition of the divinity of 
Christ, and consequently of the trinity of the Godhead. 

Starting, now, with the facts of the gospels, the rise 
of the doctrine of the trinity is eas}^ and natural. Jesus ♦ 
on earth exercised the power to forgive sins. The for- 
given heart, true to itself, instinctively worshiped the 
bestower of its priceless blessings. To Jesus ascended, 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 407 

the cry from unnumbered millions has been, ^' have 
mercy on us ;'' and, in answer to the petition, has been 
the bestowal of new hearts and new wills devoutlj^ loyal 
and worshipful to the bestower. The facts of the gos- 
pel narratives, and the facts of Christian experience as 
well, contain in the germ the doctrine of the Trinity ; 
and by the same process might be vindicated from the 
facts of the gospels every other great doctrine of the 
church. But inasmuch as truth vindicated is a truth 
made authoritative, we must here take account of another 
mutual office, in which — 

V. The Church and the Bible have cooperated in the 
enforcement of each other's requirements. Both were 
commissioned with the same message to men, but each 
was to work in its own sphere, in conjunction with, and 
in dependence on, the supporting power of the other. 

Divine truth was first revealed to men by acts and 
oral teaching. Of what was said and done, an authentic 
record by inspired men preserves to us a sufficiently 
extended account. That record is our Bible. But to 
that record it was impossible to transfer the freshness 
and vivacity of the original communication. Yividly as 
the Bible speaks to us through the eye and the imagina- 
tion, it lacks the magnetic power of the living voice and 
person. That voice and person could be furnished to 
the world only in the living church. He who once taber- 
nacled in the flesh, '^ heard," " seen'' and '^ handled" of 
men, on withdrawing to the invisible world imparted 
something of the divine energy of his own person to 
the church — to the visible representation of his presence 
on earth. What he said, and did, and suffered, recorded 
in language, the church, re-echoing in its preaching, re- 
enacting in its charities, and reproducing in its graces 
of Christian character, has preserved and will perpetu- 
ate to the latest time as a living force in society. 



4o8 Relation of the Church and the Bible. 

What effect would have accompanied a merely written 
revelation from God to men, it is difficult now to con- 
jecture. That some effect would have followed it seems 
impossible to deny. But what shall be the sustained 
and final effect of such a revelation, interpreted and 
corroborated and enforced with all the emphasis and 
energy of an ever-growing body of devout believers, it 
is impossible to over-estimate. In all her ten thousand 
voices of spoken words, of acted benevolence and love, 
of matured virtues, the church both enforces the teach- 
ings of revelation and foreshadows the coming consum- 
mation of their triumph. But in all the multitudinous 
agencies of the church, in the enforcement of those 
teachings and the proclamation of their triumph, there 
is none so effectual as that of the breathing man and 
the living voice. 

The value of mere preaching has possibly been over- 
estimated. Amid the universal laudations of the press 
there has doubtless sometimes been an over-glorification 
of the pulpit. The author and the editor, we are told, 
are now to rule the world. Types and not tones are 
hereafter to sway the minds of men. There has seemed 
to be no end to the rant about the '^ power of the press." 
And yet, with all the infiuence of the '' secular press,'' 
which at present surpasses that of the ^' religious," there 
comes never a political campaign in which partizan 
leaders are willing to trust their cause to the pen alone. 
In the last appeals to the people the tripod is abandoned 
for the stump. It is the seen and living speaker, rather 
than the invisible and impersonal writer, whose thoughts 
reach and finally control the hidden springs of action. 
And what is here true in politics, is equally true in 
religion. It is by hearing, rather than by reading — by 
the living tongue rather than by the inanimate pen — 
that men are reclaimed to the service of God. The 



Relation of the Church and the Bible, 



409 



press lias its place in the progress of the kingdom of 
righteousness, but that place is not to be found in sup- 
planting the pulpit. The earth may be made to tremble 
beneath the thunder of its printing presses, and Bibles 
be scattered in its highways and by-ways, and its sur- 
face be whitened w^ith tracts, and vet the world move 
on undisturbed in its course, unless the truth, welling 
out of the heart of living believers — the personal church 
— is proclaimed ''in demonstration of the spirit and of 
power.'' The written truth of the Bible, to be effective 
with men, must also become the spoken truth of the church. 

But we have said that the message intrusted to the 
Scriptures for men, has also been committed to the 
church. The former is a " light to the path of man," if 
he will follow it ; the latter is a ''light of the world," 
which " cannot be hid." Believers, by their very charac- 
ter as disciples of Christ, occupy, in relation to the rest 
of mankind, an isolated and contrasted position. They 
are not only the reprovers of vice and patrons of virtue, 
they are the heralds of salvation to men. Organized, 
notwithstanding sectarian subdivisions, into one body 
by the spontaneous action of the law of faith that rules 
in them, their presence in society is, in one aspect, a 
standing rebuke of all who are not within the circle of 
their brotherhood, while in another it is a persuasive 
invitation to all to enter. 

And to a delivery of their two-fold message to men, 
believers are prompted by an irresistible impulse. To 
have become a disciple of Christ, is to have been laid 
under the necessity of proclaiming him to others. The 
law of love that binds to him, is as inexorable as any 
one of the ten commandments. The consciousness of 
his presence and power in the soul is so immediate, that 
every true believer proclaims him as by a spontaneity 
of nature. The sense of the justness of his require- 
35 



4IO Relation of the Church and the Bible. 

ments and the divine beauty, and love of his promises, 
so pervades his true people that they set him forth to 
others with something of the emphasis and assurance 
of a self-contained authority. To that authority the 
world is ever flinging back its querulous challenge. 
And to that challenge there remains for us but the one 
and unchanging reply : our authority is the Bible — the 
revelation from God. 

In its use of the Bible for the enforcement of its 
teachings, two methods present themselves to the 
church. In the one, the Bible is appealed to as an ob- 
jective, extrinsic document, the divine origin and trans- 
mission of which to our day is to be duly authenticated ; 
a document, the warranty of which to be regarded as 
the standard of appeal, is impliedly dependent on the 
evidence, historical or other, which can be adduced in 
its support. But unfortunately the authority of the 
Scriptures is by too many disputed in our day. The 
ever-recurring question is, has God spoken this which 
the church quotes in enforcement of its message ? And 
shall the jpulpit busy itself with its never-ceasing answer 
of the '^ evidences ?'' Where then were the preaching 
of the gospel? Is there not a ^'more excellent way?" 
May we not rather assume that God has spoken in his 
holy word, and trust more than some have done, in the 
power of the truth to witness for itself in the heart ? 
Surely, if the church, giving itself in earnest to the 
study of its sacred deposit — the Scriptures — and imbu- 
ing mind and heart with their spirit and truths, would 
address itself to the world with the assurance of intelli- 
gent conviction, the world would listen as to a voice 
that spoke with divine authority. 

The Bible has been too much regarded as a mere his- 
tory of the past. It is rather an unchangeable mirror 
of the soul of the race. It is more a revelation of 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 41 1 

things uncreated and eternal, than of things created 
and ehano;eable. Truth has not been fitted to the soul, 
but the soul to truth. Man was created ; truth has 
been revealed. Let the church speak the truth as it is 
in Jesus, and the world will confess that never man 
spake as does the church. There is a power in that 
truth which no criticism can sap, no science withstand, 
no power in the universe overthrow. With the enforce- 
ment of this truth, the church and the Bible have been 
jointly intrusted. And in the fulfillment of their high 
commission they will be found to be — 

Yl. Justificatory of each other's aims. The Bible is 
both retrospective and anticipatory — legal and evangeli- 
cal — preceptive and prophetic. Its records begin with 
the origin of all things, and end with their final restitu- 
tion. Towards that restitution it brings to bear all its 
double enginerj^ of precept and penalty, of prophecy and 
promise. It opens before the race a stupendous destiny. 
To the realization of that destiny, every page of it, his- 
torical and prophetic, statutory and lyrical, doctTinal 
and hortatory alike, looks steadily forward. In its 
visions of the future, universal nature has been laid 
under tribute for imagery. Are its visions the dreams of 
enthusiasts ? Are its aims chimerical and its promises 
delusive ? Let the church answer. The past and the pre- 
sent must foretell the church's future. Itself, under 
God, is what the Bible has made it. 

The career of the c<hurch thus far has not been fault- 
less. Xone of its individual members have been immac- 
ulate. Its spirit has not always been pure, nor its piety 
always exalted. Bad men have corrupted its life, and 
designing ones betrayed it into depraving alliances. 
But after every abatement that can justly be made for 
crudity of results, for lack of achievement, and for per- 
verted force, who can state the number, or measure the 



412 Relation of the Church and the Bible. 

greatness of the blessings it has conferred on the world ? 
Let the low level from which the nations of Christendom 
have been raised, remind us of the greatness of the 
power that has raised them. Let Christian civilization, 
confronting every other that history has known, recount 
to us the ten thousand offices performed by Christianity, 
every one of which has been in fulfillment of some Scrip- 
tural injunction. And, most of all, let the church remind 
us of the sorrows she has assuaged, the serene peace she 
has imparted, the moral victories she has won, the heroic 
and saintly virtues she has cultivated, each beneficent 
office having been but a fulfillment of some Scriptural 
promise. But if such have been the triumphs of the 
church in the past, amid obstacles that have steadily 
diminished in numbers and force, with what rapidity 
may she not advance hereafter ; and, aided by the mul- 
tiplied agencies now at her command, to what glory of 
achievement may she not attain in the future ? Do not 
the aims of the Bible find amplest' justification in the 
deeds of the church ? 

The church, also, as well as the Bible, has its well de- 
fined aims. These, comprehensively stated, are the re- 
alization of the ideal ends for which man was created ; 
they constitute, in theological language, the salvation of 
men. They also include the incidental benefits that ac- 
company salvation. The gospel sends its power into 
every avenue of life, reaching, restraining, and re-direct- 
ing, where it does not completely control the vital forces 
of societ3^ It proposes also the subjugation of the 
whole world to the reign of Christ. It contemplates 
nothing less than a complete reorganization of society, 
the rehabilitation of the race, the construction of a new 
heaven and a new earth. In furtherance of its ends it 
appropriates, without reserve, the endowments, the ac- 
quisitions, the life even, of every one of its members. 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 413 

Addressing the world and its united forces of evil with 
the voice of authority but of love, and sending its mes- 
sages and its messengers into every corner of the habit- 
able globe, it summons every human being to a reception 
of the blessings it has to bestow. Such are the aims of 
the church. 

But to eyes that see only the present, these aims seem 
preposterous. This discrepancy between present achieve- 
ment and ultimate purpose seems almost immeasurable. 
The instruments of the church, the agencies at her com- 
mand, are ridiculed as hopelessly inadequate, as the 
relics of an effete superstition, which will readily be be- 
lieved in only b}^ incurable fanatics. The true kingdom of 
heaven for man, we are assured, is the dominion of nat- 
ural law ; the truly divine powers that give direction to 
human societ}^ and determine its destinj^ are its own in- 
herent forces, statical and dynamical; and the ''good 
tidings of great joj^," for which the race have long 
waited, are now announced in the " Gospel of Science. '^ 
And to minds that see only what may be read on the 
surface of history, these are plausible words ; the un- 
earthly aims and instruments and promises of the 
church seem shadowy and unreal. But let us to the 
''law and the testimony;'' if these speak not according 
to the voice of the church, it is because the hearer has 
no ear to hear and there remains no dawn for his dark- 
ness. 

According to the Scriptures, there never was a time 
when the resources of the church were such as human 
wisdom could approve. Surely, it was not from the 
motley and half heathenish crowd which Moses led up 
out of Egypt, that unaided man would look for thoughts 
that should shake the world, or anticipate that the Son 
of God himself should spring. What Invisible Mind 
was that which, in spite of the social forces that extin- 
35* 



414 Relation of the Church and the Bible. 

guished the glory of Tyre and Babylon and IN'ineveh, 
preserved Jerusalem and the Jewish Church till Shiloh 
came, and still preserves them, the lifeless but imperish- 
able monuments of itself Who was he that, building 
his church on the basis of an open confession of him- 
self, could fulfill, as he has done, the promise that against 
his church the Gates of Hell should not prevail ? And 
what resistless Power was that, which, taking to itself 
the little band of once disheartened and affrighted 
apostles, to whom there perte,ined none of the adventi- 
tious aids of nobility, of high alliance, of wealth, or of 
philosophy and learning, could mould them into a body, 
whose light is now irradiating the world, and making 
known, even to the hierarchy of heaven, the manifold 
wisdom of God. And where, save in the Bible, does the 
church learn of that Triune Being, who, having planted 
his church and preserved it through all the dreary past, 
still invigorates and expands it into fulfillment of all its 
glorious destiny. The church, wdth the Bible in her 
hands, knows full well the source of her present success, 
of her future triumphs, and of the final consummation 
of her hopes. 

Thus the church and the Bible, coeval in their origin, 
have cooperated in the fulfillment of their united and in- 
dissoluble oflSces to man. In the light of the sketch 
now given of their cooperation, we may understand 
something, 

1. Of the nature and value of Christian experience. 
Experience is the heart's testing of what is objectively 
l^resented to it. The apostles tested or experienced the 
meaning and efficiency of the facts of the life of Christ, 
and out of the fullness of their experience, and under 
guidance of the Spirit, they built up the church and 
wrote their epistles. Successive generations of believers, 
taught by the apostles, have relived the apostolic expo- 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 415 

rience. Out of their Christian consciousness they have 
reproduced the apostolic doctrine. Their experiences, 
though endlessly varied by personal idiosyncracies, have 
been essentially one and the same ; and so long as they 
follow the Bible alone, they will continue to have " One 
Lord, one faith, one baptism, -one God and Father 
of all.'' 

'Now such being the nature of Christian experience, 
its indissoluble connection with Christian faith and 
its importance in Christianity become readily apparent. 
All genuine faith must ground itself in the heart's ex- 
perience. No one ever truly believes in what he has not 
felt out and tested in his heart of hearts. A man's real 
creed is, and always must be, the measure of his expe- 
rience. The doctrines that mould him are those that 
grasp his conscience ; and to grasp his conscience, they 
must find his conscience in its hiding-place, and the find- 
ing it in its hiding-place is his Christian experience. 
Does a man doubt the doctrine of the Atonement or of 
the Trinity? it is because his experience has not taught 
them to him. They can be learned by him alone on 
w^hom Christ has put forth that divine power which 
renews the heart, and by renewing the heart, enlightens 
the understandinsf. All true knowinor of the doctrines 
of Christianit}^ is conditioned on a hearty doing of the 
will that underlies and is implied in them. And, asso- 
ciated with Christian experience, there come before us in 
the light of our discussion, 

2. The true office and authority of the creeds of the 
church. If a creed is a measure of the experience of 
those who have really adopted it, then it may be ap- 
pealed to in determining the kind and degree of their 
experience. But to appeal to it in testimony of the gen- 
uineness of their experience, is to pervert its office. If 
experience be the heart's response to the authoritative 



41 6 Relation of the Church and the Bible. 

teachings of Scripture, then its validity can be tested by 
the creed only as the creed can be proved to be an echo 
of the Scriptures. Only by keeping in mind this distinc- 
tion between the use of the creed and the abuse of it, 
can we shield it at once from abuse by invective and 
abuse by misuse. 

There are certain men who never wax so eloquent as 
when declaiming against creeds. The thought of a well- 
defined doctrinal formula throws them into oratorical 
spasms. But do these declaimers ever remember what 
a creed really is, and at what cost of anxious thought, 
of painful inquiry, of spiritual struggle, of protracted 
controversy, of final sacrifice of all that the world holds 
dear, the contents of the creeds vere worked out by 
those who subscribed them? The symbol that embodies 
the inmost beliefs of a man, to which, with credo on his 
lips, he signs his name, and if need be, stands ready to 
seal his subsciption with his blood, is not to be tossed 
aside at the beck of the flippant talker. A creed is 
something for a devout man to look upon with feelings 
of respect, if not of reverence. Avaunt then to those 
theological vagabonds, those semi-agrarians in religion, 
who having squandered their own beliefs and convictions, 
are impatient that other people should so tenaciously 
hold to theirs. 

But creeds have been abused by misuse of them. 
They have been perverted into crucial tests of orthodoxy. 
There is hardly an ecclesiastical body in Christendom 
that has been organized around an authoritative creed, 
that has not, in testing the orthodoxy of its clerg}^, 
thrust that creed into the place of the Bible — that has 
not trenched on the divinely established relation between 
the church and the Bible. In the Presbj^terian Church 
an appeal to the standards is final. If its ministers 
speak not according to the letter of the confessions and 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 417 

the catechisms, the}^ are condemn able and condemned. In 
the Methodist Episcopal Church, the question of ortho- 
doxy is speedily settled by recurrence to the Book of Dis- 
cipline. The Protestant Episcopal Church has gone 
still further. Originally organized around a Calvinistic 
creed — the thirty-nine articles — its Romish liturgy and 
its high church canons have come to be more authori- 
tative than even its articles. Requiring of its clergy, 
as a condition to ordination, the acceptance of its articles, 
Tvhich nine tenths of them contradict in their preaching, 
it will yet wink at any error sooner than at a repudia- 
tion of its prayer-book or a violation of its canons. 

The tendency of all ecclesiastical organizations that 
assume to themselves the title of Church, is to disturb 
the leo'itimate relation of the church to the sacred 
Scriptures, anfl to exalt the creed, the work of men, at 
the expense of the IS^ew Testament, the work of God. 
The letter of a creed may determine a man's fitness to 
belong to his sect, it cannot properly be made a test of 
his orthodoxy. Such use is an abuse of it. 

And to this misuse or abuse is undoubtedly to be 
traced much of that weaning reverence for creeds and all 
mere church authority, over which some are disposed to 
lament. But it is idle to go about with lengthened faces 
deploring the loss of what can no longer be retained. 
Yea, rather let God be thanked that the new wine is 
bursting asunder the old bottles of tradition, and that 
religion, from being a mere unthinking acceptance of the 
language of man, however venerable from age or sacred 
from association, is becoming an earnest and scrutiniz- 
ing trust in the authoritative word of God. 

3. In contrast with the sects just named, the Bap- 
tists have always persisted in a maintenance of the true 
use of creeds, and of the true relation of church pre- 
rogative to Scripture authority. The}^ have no one au- 



41 8 Relation of the Church and the Bible. 

thoritative creed to whose wording all must bow, no ec- 
clesiastical judicatories, no canons, no directory, no 
book of discipline, and yet not a sect in Christendom is 
more completely one in its faith, more uniform in its ec- 
clesiastical usages, or more prompt and rigid and effi- 
cient in its discipline. Presbyterians may hesitate and 
waver amid the divergencies of " Old School and New 
School," and before the perplexities of the question of 
^'infant church membership;'' Methodists may pause 
and wrangle over the question of ''lay representation ; " 
and Episcopalians may falter and stammer over their 
*' baptismal regeneration ; " but Baptists, in their convo- 
cations, have no questions of polity or of faith which 
they fear to confront and frankly to dispose of. Their 
churches, brooking no assumption of authority by asso- 
ciation or by convention, hold themselves amenable to 
Christ alone ; their ministers, acknowledging the right 
of no association, or convention, or any other ecclesias- 
tical body to introduce them into the Christian ministry, 
or to eject them from it, recognize themselves as respon- 
sible to the churches alone of which they are members ; 
and each church, maintaining its indej)endency, and 
aided by such counsel as, in courtesy to other churches, 
it may choose to ask from them, judges of the worthiness 
of its own members and ministers. By all true Baptists 
the voice of the church universal is attentively heeded, 
but in every discussion, whether of doctrine or of prac- 
tice, their final appeal is to the Bible, and to the Bible 
alone. The church, while honored by her Lord in all 
her ten thousand offices of teaching his truth, has not 
been commissioned to legislate, but to learn in lowliness 
from his divine statutes. And hence we learn finally, 

4. What kind of deference is to be paid in the inter- 
pretation of these statutes to the voice of the church 
universal. The voice of single sections of the church, 



Relation of the Church and the Bible. 419 

however imposing from age or numbers, may misguide 
us. These have foisted many errors on the Scriptures 
and perseveringly maintained them. The history of 
their errors is easily traced. They are not the affirma- 
tions of the church universal. But on all the great doc- 
trines of Christianity, on which the very existence of 
the church is dependent, a recognition of which the 
church has regarded as essential to salvation, the germ 
of which was planted in the personal teachings of our 
Lord himself, and the organic growth of which has 
been uninterrupted from the beginning, the voice of the 
church has an authority which is not to be lightly set 
aside. It is the voice of a united testimony, coming 
down to us without interruption from the lips of the 
Lord himself. Let then the minor differences which now 
hedge in the compounds of the sects, be tested as best 
they may by Scripture, and by such testimony of the 
church as she can authentically pronounce. But for 
all that is fundamental in Christianity, for all that dis- 
tinguishes the church from the world, the believer from 
the unbeliever, the voice of the church of God and of 
his Holy Scriptures have ever been and must ever remain 
harmonious and one. 



XYIII. 
THE CHURCH IN ITS RELATIONS TO THE STATE. 



By WILLIAM R. WILLLIAMS, D.D., 

Late Pastor of Amity Street Baptist Church, New York. 



"And he said unto them : Render therefore unto C^sar the things which bh 
Cesar's, and unto God the things which be God's." — Luke xx. 25. 

"And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing 
mothers." — Isaiah xlix. 23. 

Some liave doubted whether wit, in the ordinary sense 
of that term, ever marked our Lord's human utterances. 
If the word be used to describe the levity which studies 
mainly the incongruous and ludicrous, and which aims 
to enkindle merriment at any cost of truth and of feel- 
ing — then from it our Lord refrained, as from all the ''idle 
words," which he, condemning them in others, certainly 
never used in his own intercourse with men. But if by 
that much-perverted name, wit, be meant the sudden 
flashes of thought, apt and felicitous, which bring out 
some connection before unsuspected, parry quickly a 
thrust, reveal suddenly an undetected flaw, and over- 
whelm helplessly an arrogant assailant — then, the Sa- 
viour's colloquies with the crafty and malignant Phmrisees, 
more than once, displayed wit of the highest order, like 
the diamond in brightness, and falchion-like in keenness. 
The chief priests in the temple, the house of Christ's 
own Father, in allusion to the tables of the money- 
(420) 



Church in its Relations to State. 421 

cliangers which had just been overthrown ; and whilst 
behind the insolent questioners pressed, perchance, more 
than one of their discontented retainers, with back or 
with cheek yet tingling from the sting of the Saviour's 
scourge — the priests questioned him, as they stood in 
the courts just summarily cleansed from traffic and left 
clear for worship, " By what authority dost thou these 
things ?" It was as if they would put the inquiry, onl}^ 
as a just preliminary before yielding their own acquies- 
cence and loyal adhesion, could their question be but 
fully answered. But the intimation was also very dis- 
tinct, that, without any ostensible right, he had in- 
truded, rudely and sacrilegiousl}^, as a reformer, where 
he had at best but a dubious position as an humble and 
ordinary worshiper. Our Lord thrust aside the proud 
interrogatory with a preliminary question of his own : 
** Whence was the baptism of John ?" And he promised 
them that soon as they had answered him this, he would 
respond to their inquiry, and produce the authority for 
which they asked. This was, on his part, no digression 
from the theme in hand, and no evasion of the query 
urged upon himself John had, as the Lord's forerun- 
ner and herald, attested, at the baptismal scenes on the 
Jordan, Avhich had so roused the entire nation, the divine 
mission and nature of the stranger whom these proud 
priests would fain warn off and daunt into silence. 
The Father himself had in the same hour, and over 
those same waters, proclaimed the sonship of this well- 
beloved One, in whose dealings and whose utterances, 
he, the Eternal Father, their ancestral God, had perfect 
sj-mpathy. ]S"ow the people, agitated and perplexed 
listeners during this conference, all honored John the 
Baptist as a true prophet. If these mitred rulers of 
the nation were ready to accredit, as the people did, 
John, the herald and escort of Jesus, they could not 
36 



4'22 Church in its Relations to State. 

■well discredit the Prince thus ushered in by his precur- 
sor prophet, and to whom the Father himself had, on 
the banks of the Jordan, and in the very course of the 
ordinance, given so illustrious and distinct a voucher. 
No usurper, and rightfully no stranger, he had now 
come, in that Father's name, and bearing that Father's 
seal, to the Father's own house, to see that the servitors 
of that house kept it fit for its holy uses — and to claim 
from the dishonest husbandmen the stipulated fruits of 
the Father's vineyard, so long misappropriated. Should 
they impeach the Baptist, they dreaded the popular in- 
dignation. Should they admit the Baptist, his Master's 
feet were heard, close and loud, behind him. They were 
perplexed, entangled, and maddened ; but they were also 
stunned and silenced. They had had the preliminary 
evidence ; and could neither dispute it, nor j^et would 
they obey it. What right had they to be demanding 
additional proof, when they were thus neglecting and 
wasting what had gone before ? In the alphabet of the 
new dispensation opening upon them, John had repeated 
before them the A ; and they stubbornly, stolidly, de- 
clined to pronounce it after him — without venturing, 
however, to call in question John's commission from 
Heaven to set before them the lesson which they thus 
neglected. Why should Christ be summoned so per- 
emptorily to pronounce, at their pleasure, the B, w^hen 
they so obstinately refused the instruction which pre- 
ceded it, and which made it intelligible ? If they would 
not deign to articulate the first letter, why put captious 
questions about the second ? And that scene on the 
brink of Jordan actually involved the whole substance 
of the query now urged by these men. By what au- 
thority, forsooth? By the authority of their Maker 
and Judge, the Lawgiver on Sinai, and the Designer, as 
he was the Glory, of the very temple they were affecting 



Church in its Relations to State. 423 

to guard. Around this Galilean peasant lingered yet 
the fluttering wings of that Dove which descended on 
the baptismal waters — the halo of that heavenly re- 
splendence, and the echo of that divine recognition. 
The flaming brightness of the old shekinah — seen by 
priest on the mercy-seat — beheld by prophet when paus- 
ing on the temple threshold — now had virtually reap- 
peared, in the holiness, wisdom and majesty of him, 
''speaking as never man spoke,'' and doing works 
''never before seen in Israel." These all gave him full- 
est " authority'' to rout from the temple and its pre- 
cincts every dove-cote, every stall, and every table ; to 
displace, had he chosen to do it, ever}^ doctor in their 
august Sanhedrim, from Gamaliel and from Mcodemus 
down ; and to disfrock and extrude every priest and 
attendant, from Annas and Caiaphas down to the lower- 
most of the Levites that scoured a basin, or plied a 
besom, or slew the lamb of that morning's sacrifice on 
that sacred pavement. His Father, well pleased with 
him at the Jordan, was equally pleased with him in all 
his present sayings and doings, amid that throng of the 
residents of Jerusalem. The Infallibility of Sinai was 
stamped on all that scene of the cleansing of the Tem- 
ple. Such swift force was there in that brief, apt ques- 
tion, so timely and so pregnant, so keen and yet so 
simple — quiet as the daybreak, but sudden as the thun- 
der-clap, and dazzling as the lightning's flash. 

And here, in the history furnishing our text from 
Luke, was a similar encounter with the same Pharisees, 
reinforced by the Herodians — the one class especial 
sticklers for Hebrew dignity, privilege, and sacredness ; 
and the other watchful guardians of the Greek culture, 
and of the prerogatives of Rome, hj whose patronage 
their master Herod held his throne. Habitually an- 
tagonists the one class to the other, but now confed- 



4^4 Church in its Relations to State. 

erated by their common enmity to Christ, they come, as 
they suppose, well able to transfix our Lord on the one 
prong or the other of an inevitable dilemma by asking 
him (after some glib flattery of his independence and 
frankness, intended to throw him off his guard), if the 
payment of tribute to the idolatrous and alien Gentile 
were at all lawful from them, the children of Israel, 
God's favored people — and from himself especially, the 
Son of David, as some called him, and come, if such, 
to sit as rightful and sole heir on his father David's 
throne. If he replies that it is not lawful, seize him, ye 
Herodians, for treason, as against Caesar ! If he replies 
that it is allowed, brand him, ye Pharisees, for treason 
against the dignities, and the hereditary, imprescriptible 
rights of the Hebrew race ! For the Pharisees them- 
selves, in secret, taught the thorough unlawfulness of 
all such tribute, and begrudged in their hearts Caesar 
every penny of his taxes. And would not the Son of 
David, by such assent to Gentile tribute, renounce his 
own regal lineage ? Christ, in all serene majesty, called 
for the coin in common use — that did the day's market- 
ing, and paid the day's wages. One is promptly pro- 
duced, with perchance an ill-concealed smile at the 
Galilean simplicity which made such a request. '' Whose 
is," he asked, ^'the head on this money, and what the 
legend on the coin around the head ?" The features were 
Caesar's ; and the superscription acknowledged Caesar's 
supremacy, as master of the mint, and the mart, and 
the camp, and the throne, for this people. If they had 
been ready to exult over the rustic simplicity of the 
JSTazarene in asking for the penny, they were invited 
now, in turn, to ponder and comprehend their own vast 
simplicity in overlooking the inevitable sequence from 
their using habitually this same coinage. If they, week 
by week and year after year, acknowledged Caesar's 



Church in Its Relations to State. 425 

rights of conquest, his persuasive legions, and his per- 
sistent tax-gatherers, by taking his coin for their bar- 
gains and purchases ; if they had paid, perchance, the 
scribe who transcribed their last cop}^ of the law, and 
the masons who built their last synagogue, in some of 
this very coin — then must they, in common equit^^ 
'' render" honestly back to their imperial master, what, 
in professed loyalty, they had accepted from him. It 
was too late, having taken the badges and livery, and 
wages of service, to begin caviling at the lawfulness of 
the service itself. And they should, with equal fidelity, 
give to the Jehovah, the God of their devout fathers, 
that hearty and spiritual homage which he demanded. 
Tliey, the Pharisees, notoriously taught that God cared 
not for the wanderings of the heart, if only the outer 
act of outbreaking transgression were refrained from. 
In this they sinned against the first principle of the 
divine law, which required them to love the Lord their 
God with all their heart and all their soul. They be- 
grudged God his first claim, much as they begrudged 
Tiberius and his publicans the coin which they were in 
taxes paying to the hated Roman. Thus, in the very 
colloquy where these subtle foes had thought themselves 
sure to gore the Great Teacher with at least one prong 
of their forked dilemma, they found themselves quietly 
transfixed on both prongs of the Lord's calm and bright 
reply. Kestive in heart under Caesar's yoke, but more 
fiercely restive against the spiritual yoke of their Maker 
and God — revolters against the earthly, and more atro- 
ciously against the heavenly sovereign ; but hiding the 
one rebellion under the mask of patriotism, and the 
other under the shows of formalism and hypocris}^ — 
they came, the gentle casuists, to ensnare the Redeemer 
with a question about duty which grievously burdened 
these patriotic and pious men. ^ True patriotism, and 
36* 



4^6 Church in its Relations to State. 

genuine piety, would have recognized in the national 
subjugation the fruit and the memorial of the national 
sin. And so taught, they would have accepted the ad- 
vice of Jeremiah, given in an earlier captivity, that to 
the Chaldeans, and which bade the people, chastened 
and contrite, to seek the peace and good of their Gen- 
tile conquerors. Had their conscience the tenderness 
which tl^ey claimed for it, it would have yielded to the 
pleadings of the Spirit of God. Then would they, with 
Zacharias, and Simeon, and Anna, worshipers in that 
very temple of that very Messiah, have hailed the ad- 
vent of the Teacher they were now striving to entangle. 
At Bethlehem, with the shepherds, they would have 
adored his infancy ; at Bethabara, they would with John 
the Baptist have witnessed to the Lamb of God moving 
onward to his redeeming work, and the Son of God, 
the brightness, as tlie Father proclaimed him, of that 
Father's own glory. But instead, they were now con- 
triving his entanglement, and were soon to be plotting 
his murder. When some of these very men voted, soon 
after, in the Sanhedrim, at the suggestion of Caiaphas, 
that this prophet should perish, the}^ felt yet rankling 
in their inmost souls, we doubt not, the barbed reply 
that thus brought out their foiled plot, exposed their 
duplicity, and made both more inexcusable and more 
inveterate their obdurate impiety. They owed Christ 
henceforth a new and deadly grudge — on Caesar's ac- 
count, whose name they had failed to use as a snare ; on 
God's account, whose law they had been detected in 
using as a mask ; and most of all, on their own account, 
so quietly repulsed, so publicly and effectively shamed. 
But this reply, so apt and keen, brought out also, my 
brethren, the great truth — so significant for our times, 
and for all times — of the just relations between Ciiesar 
and God — between the claims of Human Government 



Church in its Relations to State. 427 

upon us, man's rule over his fellows, and the claims of 
Divine Government upon us also, in the Maker's rale 
over and judgment of his creatures and pensioners, who 
remain eternally his subjects. On the one hand is the 
state, God's ordinance for temporal quiet, justice, and 
prosperity. On the other hand towers the church — 
God'^ better, more s^^iritual, and more enduring ordi- 
nance — with spiritual ends as its chief aim, an^l eyeing 
eternity as its ultimate goal and the field of its legiti- 
mate range. Uplifting together our hearts to the Father 
of lights for the aid of his own Spirit, let us review the 
teachings of Revelation and Providence on this momen- 
tous theme. We may observe : 

I. The evils of the confused intermixture of the 
Church and the State ; 
II. Their distinct offices ; 

III. Their mutual interaction ; but also 

lY. Their true freedom and proper independence, as 
leading to the highest prosperity of each. 

I. By the Church we understand, in the teachings of 
Scripture, any and every congregation of true believers, 
regenerate men, accepting the truth of God and the 
headship and sacrifice of Christ, born again of, im- 
ploring the aid of, and led by the influences of the 
Spirit, Author of all truth ; and who meet together in 
one place for the worship of God, for the celebration 
of the ordinances, and for the difi'usion of Christ's gos- 
pel throughout their race. This is the Visible Church — 
a single, local congregation. The Invisible Church is 
the great congregation as it shall meet in heaven, com- 
posed of all believing and regenerate souls, from every 
dispensation, every century, and ever}^ land. The earthly 
and Yisible Church may have imperfection, error, for- 
malism, and even hypocrisy intermingled in its member- 
ship. The Invisible Church is purged from all sucb 



4^8 Church in its Relations to State. 

adherent dross. Many Christians, besides recognizing 
these two, speak also of an earthly visible church 
swollen beyond all dimensions of a single local congre- 
gation, and taking in all the believers in any evangelical 
denomination, as living at any one given time, either in 
any one country, or yet, more comprehensively, in all 
the countries of the entire earth. We cannot accept 
this mode of speech as having scriptural precedent or 
warrant. We find no instance in the Bible of such use 
of the word, the church. The ISFew Testament speaks 
not of the church in Asia, collectively, including in the 
one singular phrase all its disciples dispersed through 
the several cities of Asia Minor. But it names, re- 
peatedly, the churches of Asia ; and this plural designa- 
tion is used at a time when those churches were united 
in doctrine, discipline, and intercommunion, as churches 
never since were ; and when, in consequence, if ever 
suitable, such singular appellation for them all, as the 
church of Asia, would have been intrinsically most suit- 
able. But the apostles shunned emplojdng this generali- 
zation. And so, the churches — not the church — of 
Macedonia ; the churches — not the church — of Galatia ; 
the churches — not the church — of Judaea; the churches 
■ — not the church — of Sja^ia ; the churches — not the 
church — of the Gentiles ; are the ever-recurrent phra- 
ses of inspiration. This plural phrase would appear 
strangely significant. To us it seems the protest of 
the Great Head and Lawgiver of the church against 
the modern assumption, that all the worshiping bodies 
of any one entire denomination may, in propriety, be 
clustered together and called, in the singular form of 
the phrase, a church. Thus, many speak — grouping to- 
gether all the congregations in one land that are of 
similar denominational views — of the Baptist Church in 
America, or the Episcopal Church in Britain, or the 



Church in its Relations to State. 429 

Presbyterian Church of Scotland, or the Lutheran 
Church of Germany, or the Reformed Church of Hol- 
land or of France. Failing to find scriptural pattern 
or authority for such expansion and aggregate use of 
the singular term church in regard to earthly assem- 
blies, we cannot adopt its use, or accept the inferences 
and consequences which those who do use it uncon- 
sciously derive from it. 

For the assumption leads rapidly to the theoretical 
error, and the great practical peril consequent on that 
error, of imagining a vast collective corporation, over- 
spreading a land, and with whom the state may 
deal, as having the same geographical boundaries as 
itself. The image, thus national in its ramifications, 
and legislation and power, becomes the incitement to- 
ward an alliance or a fusion of the political and ecclesi- 
astical power, stretching their tent-cords over the same 
portion of earth's surface. The two corporate j)owers 
enlisting often each the same persons, in the one body, 
as citizens, and in the other as comm^imicants or wor- 
shipers ; the theorj^ grasps readily the entire nation, as 
forming but one real body, under the twofold aspect of 
church and state ; and the statesman and the church- 
man so theorizing, must naturally wish to provide for 
their final and indivisible alliance. That alliance be- 
comes to the state often, in days of revived religious 
zeal annoying and onerous, and even revolutionary. Be 
the zeal of the religionist the ambition of a Becket or a 
Hildebrand, a Wolsey or a Torquemada ; or, be it the 
flaming love of souls that burned in a Whitfield or a 
Wesley or a Bunyan ; or, be it the heroic attachment to 
the truth of a Wickliffe, a Luther or a Calvin ; a fervid 
state of the church is, more or less, uneasiness to the 
worldly ruler who must deal with' it. To the church, on 
the other hand, such alliance becomes an influence to 



430 Church in its Relations to State. 

secularize, to pervert, and to cripple, whilst nominally 
subsidizing, arming, and patronizing her. Persecution 
becomes an almost inevitable sequent. Statecraft and 
Priestcraft, each an evil when alone, become more evil 
by their mutual aid and emulation, and plague together, 
the country, which, in common, they drain of its re- 
sources, and in common they circumscribe and fetter in 
its development. Pevenue and power and rank tempt 
evil men into the high places of the church. Simon Mag- 
uses are more easily fostered than Simon Peters. And 
if God withdraw his hand of restraint, the Christian 
church sees rising within her nominal bounds, men like 
Dunstan and Wolsey and Pichelieu a^id Mazarin and Du- 
bois, trampling on truth and right, and aiming at power, 
won by the worst means and used for the basest ends. 

Our own favored land has, for long years, enjoyed 
the distinction and blessedness of seeing the Christian 
church left alike unendowed and unfettered of the state ; 
and yet largely influential, widely enterprising, and 
richly prospered. And our own churches, as a denomi- 
nation, may well thank God for the memory of Roger 
Williams, and for the testimony by him borne to Soul 
Liberty, so faithfull}^ and effectively amid general incre- 
dulity and obloquy. He called heroicall}'- for the re- 
moval of all political restraints and all political sup- 
ports from the Christian church. His doctrine, resisted 
and decried, as in his own time it was, even by most 
pious men, like Baxter and Kutherford, and Herbert 
Palmer, as baleful and atheistic, was not the original 
discover}'', the slow excogitation of that bold spirit, 
although God honored him to become so ardently and 
manfully its champion. That dogma belonged to our 
own churches in England, Holland and German}^, long 
before he was attached to our membership, and is found 
in the confessions and arguments of English Baptists, 



Church in its Relations to State. 43 i 

before Williams became their disciple and adherent. Yet 
recognized, as is now, the rightfulness of separating 
church from state, on our own side of the Atlantic, and 
our northern section of the continent, how slow and 
grudging has been the acknowledgment and welcome of 
the doctrine, north of the St. Lawrence and south of the 
Isthmus of Darien, in this western hemisphere. Still more 
slow has been its admission among the Christians of the 
old world. Even a thinker, so clear and so bold as Ar- 
nold of Kugby, found it hard to conceive of a Christian 
church apart from the body of the nation. Then to wield 
and harmonize the religious activities of that nation, there 
must be adopted the vaguest and laxest tyi^e of Christian 
doctrine, and the loosest and most secular type of Chris- 
tian practice, consistent with any retention of the Chris- 
tian name. This becomes the normal ideal of a Christian 
church that shall grasp, tax, and sway the entire nation. 
And so led on, Arnold, though not himself Socinian, would 
have his national church take in Socinian teachers. 
Thus would he confiscate Christ's own golden crown of 
Godhead to beat it into the thin and flexible goldleaf 
bands of a most perilous and unwarranted brotherhood. 
It becomes the interest of many, some on the devouter, 
and some on the more secular side, to drive the bargain 
of mutual alliance and co-operation to its last terms. 
The pulpit, in an endowed church and a monarchical 
government, should reflect the will of the Cabinet, and 
be the mouth-piece of the Court. In the wars of the 
League in France, it trumpeted sedition and revolt ; in 
the days of the later Stuarts of England, it sought to 
graft passive obedience in the interest of despotism, on 
the Gospel of Paul and Paul's Master. The state in its 
turn, is to rear and repair the sanctuary, grant the tithe 
and the glebe, and appoint or approve the chief digni- 
taries of the church. Or, if the superior church power 



4.32 Church in its Relations to State. 

lodge on a foreign shore, then, solemn concordats must 
determine anxiously, when, and how far, statesmen will 
sanction the territorial enactments of churchmen. In- 
trigue, often in the hands of infidel politicians, and the 
backstair influence of the most profligate courtiers, and 
even of royal harlots, dictate the filling of those ecclesi- 
astical posts, which, according to the theory and demand 
of the New Testament, need watchmen, called and en- 
dowed of the Holy Ghost. It is, in result, as if Herodias, 
having won the Baptist's head, was asked graciously 
to extend and perpetuate her power over the people of 
God, by becoming the step-mother of the new evangel, 
filling up, with her serene wisdom, each vacancy in the 
apostolical college, as a James might be beheaded or a 
Peter crucified. Pillories, dungeons, racks, scaflTolds, and 
inquisitions have been invoked to establish the cause of 
him, who declared his own kingdom not one of this world. 
And the Lord said this at the bar of the Koman, where, 
had he chosen it, he might have converted a Pilate into 
a Sergius Paulus ; and when he might, in the illimitable 
resources of his wisdom and power, have transmuted 
Pilate's imperial master, the hoary Tiberius, into an 
anticipated Constantine, or a re-appearing Hezekiah, 
commissioned to rear the secular interests of the church, 
speedily and potently, on a wide basis, and to a lofty ele- 
vation. That our Great Head did not so build up his Zion 
on Caesar's patronage, was evidence irrefragable that he 
saw a better, surer, and more efi*ective way, than that 
mode of advancing religion by worldly endowment, 
wealth, and control, which many thinkers regard as the 
w^ay not only best, surest, and most eff'ective, but as the 
only remaining and feasible way. Our gospel, unen- 
dowed not only, but persecuted and proscribed, marched 
from the foot of the Saviour's cross, through ghastly 
catacombs, and over the blood and ashes of its own thick- 



Church in its Relations to State, 



433 



fallen martyrs to the evangelization of Caesar's empire, 
and the conversion of remote and outlying barbarians, 
whom Csesar^s legions had failed to subdue. 

Bat has not God, by his own servant Isaiah, foretold 
to the Zion of the latter days, that kings should become 
to her as her nursing fathers, and their queens as her 
nursing mothers ? The language has been heedlessly 
misapplied, as if it intended to foster and sanction the 
state endowments which have often Invited a Demas to 
nurse his ^' love of this present evil world" in church 
precincts, and which have installed a Diotrephes to dis- 
play his '' love of pre-eminence" among the followers of 
that Crucified Master, w^ho would have his chiefest dis- 
ciples the servants of all their brethren. The sovereigns, 
who have, like Henry YIII., or Louis XI Y., most assidu- 
ously affected to patronize religion, have read this pre- 
diction^of Isaiah, as if it virtually constituted them the 
cruel step-fathers, who might strangle the infant heir at 
choice, dictate the will and testament anew, and divide 
the heritage, at their own liking. But w^hat is the actual 
imagery ? It was the custom of the East that the sons of 
a regal line were often entrusted, afar from their fiither's 
capital and residence, to some of his chosen nobles for 
education and nurture. He, the inferior, trained thus 
those who were his monarch's children, and one of whom, 
if surviving the parent, and outranking his brothers, 
might become king one day over himself, the nursing 
father, and over his own children, the foster-brothers 
and the foster-sisters of that royal nursling. The nurs- 
ing fathers and nursing mothers were thus, and ever 
remained, the inferiors of the royal progeny whom they, 
for the time, fostered and trained. The nobles of Jezreel 
were in this relation, in Jehu's time, towards no less 
than seventy of Ahab's sons. Now Isaiah's prophecy 
represents kings and queens — all earthly potentates — as 
3t 



434 Church in its Relations to State. 

occupying this inferior position toward the cause of God. 
Keligion, daughter of the skies, is in this world afar 
from the celestial home and court of her Divine Parent. 
But in her stay here she renounces not her ancestry, her 
original home, and her ultimate destiny. The crowned 
rulers of earth, who were wont themselves to have nurs- 
ing fathers, inferior in dignity and in prospects to them- 
selves, become now, by God's appointment, the inferior 
foster-parents of God's Zion on this earth. The}^ watched, 
in her feeble and infant beginning, the seed of an older 
and more illustrious line than that of Guelphs, Bour- 
bons, or Hapsburghs ; and they were called to recognize, 
in that infantile development, rights and prerogatives of 
divine bestowment. It was this maligned and martyred 
faith that was predestined to rule the planet, enfranchis- 
ing yet all its captives, and righting one day all its 
wrongs. Dependency, on the part of royalt}^, not domi- 
nation was the attitude, which in the divine scheme was 
to be assumed b}'^ the secular power toward the cause of 
God. Not, indeed, the dependence of subserviency to 
the churches as secular corporations, but dependence 
on the truth there taught, on the conscience there edu- 
cated, on the kingdom of God there inaugurated, and 
thence radiating out upon the race enfranchisement and 
civilization, enlightenment, and true sanctification. 

Some, in our clay, have seen the evil of religious per- 
secution, and yet have been unwilling to relinquish all 
national establishments, lest national ungodliness should 
be the result. They would have the state, by a strange 
impartiality, widen its establishment, varying its motley 
creeds and rituals according to the likings of its sub- 
jects. But the}'^ could furnish no test by which states- 
men might be held to select and to establish only the 
true religion. Britain has thus subsidized Episcopacy 
in England, and Presbyterianism in Scotland ; and has 



Church in its Relations to State. 435 

by more than one of her statesmen threatened to add to 
the staff of her ecclesiastical pensioners, by endowing 
Romanism in Ireland. By some of her Indian place- 
men she has contributed to the festivals of Juggernant, 
foul and bloody as they are ; and she has cashiered 
Protestant soldiers for refusing, in Malta, to share in 
the processions that gave to the Mass idolatrous honor. 
Catholic France pays salaries to the Romish priest, the 
Protestant pastor, and the Jewish rabbi. Now a faith 
thus elastic, indiscriminate, and all-devouring, cannot 
honor God, or rightly develop conscience. Parit}^ of 
reasoning would require it to extend salaries and subsi- 
dies to the impurities and defilements of Mahommedan- 
ism and Mormonism, should votaries of either delusion, 
in sufficient numbers, colonize its soil ; and would even 
demand its patronage for the human sacrifices of Hindoo- 
ism, and the cannibal feasts of New Zealand. The God of 
the Bible cannot be propitiated b}^ being thus made to 
occup3^ a divided throne with Belial and Mammon, and 
Moloch, as rivals or co-assessors. Christ, the Light and 
the coming Judge of the world, denounces as utter im- 
possibility such blended, divided reign. Pantheism would 
be its natural result and final crown ; and the father of 
lies might well hail as his victory a scheme to make all 
his impostures one amalgam with the truth of God, and 
thus writing ultimately all truths as lies, and sanction- 
ing all lies as virtual truth. 

II. The Church and the State, have, we proceed to 
remark, distinct offices. The one, born of earth, and liv- 
ing mainly for the earth, eyes mainly, if not exclusivel}^, 
earthly good. It seeks worldly order, comfort, peace, 
and prosperity. Its chief reliance for defence and per- 
petuation is on material force. It guards its laws with 
the sanctions of fine, imprisonment, and death. Stripes 
and bonds, and pecuniary forfeitures and confiscations 



436 Church in its Relitions to State. 

are its legitimate instruments. It can levy the army 
and equip the navy, and wage the war, if its interests 
and the infringement of its rights require such guards 
and avengers. The other eyes chiefly, though not ex- 
clusively, man's spiritual good. The soul is its chief 
care. It may not resort to secular punishments for 
its extension, and the "restraint and correction of its 
offending membership. Its ban is spiritual disfranchise- 
ment. It sends into the world of the irreligious and the 
unregenerate its recreant and unfaithful disciples, as no 
longer worthy of its ordinances and fraternity. Its 
legislation is divine in origin ; and became final and 
complete when the canon of revelation was filled out, 
and upon the departure of the last inspired Apostles. 
Earthly states may amend, and accumulate statute 
upon statute ; but her law-book came out of her Re- 
deemer's hand, and no more admits of human supple- 
ments than did Sinai, where God spoke, accept of the 
human echoes, that came reverberating back upon it 
from the tribes who rehearsed the law on Ebal and 
Gerizim, as if these acclamations of man appended to 
or detracted from the original edicts of Jehovah. Its 
life is not heredltar}^ the right of a clan or race ; nor is 
it territorial, absorbing all the dwellers of any conti- 
nent, or land^ or homestead even. The Spi.;it of God, 
acting by moral suasion, and secret, divine energy, on 
man's conscience, hopes, affections, and fears, is its 
great controlling power and its pervasive r.nd diffusive 
life. Both church and state should seek truth. But 
the truth of the state is secular justice, which in many 
of its details must be a matter of human arranofement. 
The church of God takes truth also as its great stand- 
ard ; but it is truth as contained in revelation, not to be 
enlarged by canons of man ; and the justice to which it 
directs the aspirations of all its genuine membership is 



Church in its Relations to State. 437 

r 

inward, spiritual piety, righteousness before God, as 
won by a divine atonement, accepted by a regenerate 
heart, and witnessing itself in practical righteousness 
before man, by a penitent, holy, and beneficent life. In 
the state, the condition of revolt is an exception, an 
anomaly unknown to the mass of the communit}^ ; and 
pardon is a boon that few need, and of which none 
boasts. In the church, each true believer acknowledges 
as his original condition a guilty revolt against the 
heavenly Father ; and all base their hopes of acceptance 
with that Father on a pardon sealed with the blood of a 
compassionate and Divine Ransomer. Descended from 
heaven, the church finds its true outward and home- 
ward look i(s be one opening into the eternal world, and 
the hope of admission to that Paradise from whence its 
Founder stooped, and whither he re-ascended. The Jeru- 
salem from above is, thus, the mother of all God's true 
Israel. 

But it is an error in drawing the bounds of the dis- 
tinct oflSces of church and state, to pencil the line too 
broadly, as is often done, by saying that religion re- 
lates solel}^ to the immaterial, to the spiritual and to 
the invisible; and that political science and government 
concern, just as exclusively, only that which is tangi- 
ble, material, terrene, and transitory. JN'either of these 
assertions can be held to be exact and true. On the 
broad scale of national activities, and in the narrower 
field of the neighborhood and its jostlings, the political 
must take hold on the moral ; and the material must need 
often to bring aid from the immaterial and invisible vrorld. 
The greatest of political convulsions, in our times and 
those of our fathers, the first French Revolution, w^as 
more a war of ideas than of material interests, though 
these last were fearfully involved. The great coming w^ar, 
with which Canning menaced Europe, was to be, accord- 
3t* 



438 Church in its Relations to State. 

ing to bis augury, a war of ideas, which of all kinds of 
war is the most lavish in its outlays, the most gigantic 
in its efforts, and the most dire in its broad, deep furrows 
of carnage. So the bickerings of a secluded hamlet take 
hold, in like manner, on something intangible and ethe- 
real. The twelve men of a jmy, summoned to adjudi- 
cate the ownership of a half acre, or to pronounce on 
an alleged assault by one tenant upon another, have 
indeed, at first sight, but material objects before them. 
And yet the right of property in the turf, and the right 
of defence for the assailed against his unjust assailant, 
both rest at last on spiritual, immaterial principles. 
The justice to be administered must be fetched from 
conscience, and law, and the sense of right, all great, 
impalpable, but ineradicable principles. The law secu- 
lar then, shaping and weighing material interests, must 
have its immaterial root. The name and sway of God 
are invoked to get true testimony on the subject of liti- 
gation ; and invoked again by the juror, to pledge on 
his part true deliverance as upon that testimony. Over 
every acre of soil, and every form of varied social 
activity, over all the material products that agriculture 
and manufactures heap up, and that commerce wafts 
and exchanges — over workshops, and banks, and village 
gardens, and forest clearings, broods inseparably and 
eternally, the great idea of duty, derivable, if traced to 
its roots, from a controlling Providence, and the will of 
the one original Creator, the inevitable Judge, as he is 
the sleepless Guardian of the wide universe which he 
has formed. The secular cannot forego — maj^ not ex- 
clude — the spiritual. Every chip that falls from the 
carpenter's chisel, every grain of iron rasped *f)y the 
blacksmith's file, ranges itself within the purview of 
ownejL'ship and right, of law and of duty. 

So, too, on the other hand, it is a shallow and un- 



Church in its Relations to State. 439 

worthy view of religion, that would so etherealize and 
spiritualize it, as to dissever it from all interference 
with a man's secular trade, his political activities, or 
his very amusements. In the daj^s when God shall be 
most widely feared, and man most largely blessed, pro- 
phecy assures us, that the Lord's name shall be on the 
very bells of the horses ; and the ver}^ pots of Jerusalem, 
on all its hearthstones, are to be like the bowls on God's 
consecrated altar. Plough, and keel, and anvil, and 
plane, and augur, the child's go-cart, and the grand- 
sire's rocking-chair, are to move under the ken of the 
Judge above, under the shadow of the Elder Brother's 
redeeming cross, and in the beaming splendors of the 
Redeemer's riven tomb. And thus, the immaterial, the 
infinite, and the eternal, take hold on the things of 
sense and time — the every-day assiduities of common 
life — the worry and the repose of the home, the nur- 
ser}^, the kitchen, the quarter-deck, the shop, and the 
highway. Man, formed of soul and body, born to die 
but not fiinding annihilation in death, touches by the 
necessity of his nature on two worlds, in the one of 
which the state may have the preponderance as the 
governing power, but in the other of which religion as 
inevitably dominates. 

III. Whilst we have seen, then, how the nations have 
o^roaned under the confused intermixture of the church 
and the state, and that the offices of the two are mainly 
distinct, it remains yet manifest, and this is our third 
topic, that the tivo provinces of the church and the state, 
the spiritual and the material, the eternal and the tem- 
poral, must, because of man's compounded and conglom- 
erate nature, not only at times impinge ; but they often 
overlap and interlace each other, and even, at times, in- 
terpenetrate the one the other. Both need truth, both 
must consider justice : but the one mainly truth, of 



440 Church in its Relations to State. 

secular authority] and justice as seen on its civil side ; 
the other truth as divinely stated, and justice as imparted 
by grace and required in the last judgment. The one 
cannot care wisely for the body, without taking some 
thought for the soul that animates the body. The other 
cannot adequatel}^ consecrate and educate that soul, 
without making that body a temple of the Hol3^ Ghost, 
and without reminding each disciple that, whether he 
eat or drink, or whatever he do, he must do it to the 
glory of that God w^ho has bought him with the costliest 
and yet the freest of all redemptions, so that, body, sonl, 
and spirit, he is become the Lord's. 

ISTo State can, in the present age, live without mo- 
rality. Even the old Pagan Greek in his history of 
heathen Rome, rapacious as she was, found the secret 
of her prosperity in her high sense, as compared with 
other nations, of law and justice and religion, as they 
regarded it. And morality, to find living and permanent 
roots, must resort to Christianity, and in it recognize 
the ripest and truest morality of all the earth. Hence 
the state — in caring for the education of the young, 
which to be symmetrical or sound, or enduring, must 
be based in morality — is compelled in a land of Chris- 
tian light to recognize and to use the morality of 
Christ's gospel. Even Diderot, the head of the French 
Encyclopedists, so bitter and audacious a blasphemer, 
was found once by a friend, as he was teaching his 
dauo;hter out of the IS^ew Testament. Seeinoj his friend's 
look of amazement: ^^ Where," said he, ''could I find 
a purer morality ?" Sinai and the Mount of Beati- 
tudes must color evermore our secular education, and 
cannot be dislodged or replaced by any utilitarian 
code of modern days. So, in our courts of justice, the 
ministers of law find the insuflftciency of earthly*statutes 
and penalties to reach the inmost depths of conscience, 



Church in its Relations to State. 441 

and to stir up the sense of profound responsibilit}^ in the 
witness who bears testimony before tl^em. The}^ go, 
therefore, oat of the range of human tribunes and iivli- 
ciaries, and endeavor to bind the offerer of testimony 
by a sense of his accountabilit}^, to a more dread tribu- 
nal, that of the All-knowing Judge who reads hearts. 
Everj^ affidavit recognizes the Infinite. Roger Williams, 
in his overstrained theory for the separation of religion 
from the state, held the oath to be an act of worship, 
and worship to belong rightfully only to the regenerate ; 
and that, therefore, the magistrate might not tender the 
oath except to a converted man, since an irreligious man 
was not authorized to present worship. Wise and good 
as he was, he there erred. All men, regenerate or unre- 
generate, should be urged to praj^ And so the uncon- 
verted may, like his Christian neighbor, well be sum- 
moned to remember God's presence and rule, when he 
approaches to give deliberate testimony. Society needs 
for its tribunals this appeal to the Omniscient Judge. 
And so the office-holder, from president or senator down 
to private soldier and exciseman, needs to be held to 
fidelity by an oath taken, as in that august though in- 
visible presence. So, too, in the retirement and security 
of our households, the marriage which is the bond and 
basis of the famil}^, is not Jewish, Mahommedan, or 
Mormon, as to the number of wives, or the facility of 
divorce. But it is Christian. The home, the very foun- 
tain of the order, virtue and freedom of the state, in 
large measure, — the home, we say. — is built thus on a 
Christian platform and principles. And so, too, the day 
of the Lord, the Christian Sabbath, is regarded in the 
process and the sessions of our courts. The judge de- 
serts then the bench, the writ is no longer servable. So 
does the state interfere for the prevention, on the part of 
those not Christian, of any outdoor acts which should 



44^ Church in its Relations to State. 

mar the privileges and the peace of the Christian in his 
observance of ^the day. So again, the state cannot 
overlook the rule of a Divine Providence in the affairs 
of the world ; and calls, therefore, in days of national 
fasting and thanksgiving, the entire people to acknow- 
ledge, in their several modes of worship, the Sovereign 
Ruler, 'who smites and heals, and is alike the Inflicter 
and Remover of national judgments and calamities. 
Christianity is then, literally and truly, though Jefferson 
ventured to dispute it, a part of the common law of the 
nation. For no empire and no republic can build house- 
hold, or freedom, or law, or order, or prosperity, or 
union, but on the basis of morality. And with the 
perfect morality of the gospel blazing before us, how 
can any state with us, escape indebtedness for its funda- 
mental morals to the gospel of Christ Jesus ? It is and 
must be a Christian morality. 

On the other hand, also, the Christian church, taught 
of God's word and Spirit to recognize his hand in the 
affairs of this lower world, and to believe that ''the 
powers which be are ordained of God," must admit and 
respect the rights of the state, in its own legitimate 
province, of civil governance, of making statutes, en- 
forcing contracts, restraining crimes, levying taxes, and 
waging war. Should there be a collision at any time, 
between the laws of God and those of the state, she 
holds, indeed, the law of God paramount to all and 
QYQYy contravening authority. It would undeify God to 
claim less than absolute supremacy for his law. She 
honors the earthly law which thus collides disastrously 
with the divine law, by bearing meekly the penally of 
that mistaken law, and seeking, constitutionallj^ the 
amendment and repeal of that law. But she may not 
at man's bidding disobey a plain enactment of Heaven 
more than she could, on the plain of Dura, bow down to 



Church in its Relations to State, 



443 



Nebuchadnezzar's golden image, or in Daniel's chamber 
restrain all prayer because the decree of Darius inhibited 
it. With the apostle she must ever hold that we are 
bound to obey God rather than man. And this recog- 
nition of the divine law, as the higher law, is implied in 
every oath administered : and the propriety of such pre- 
ference is recognized, not only in all Christian ethics, 
but in the old Greek drama and in the old Roman phi- 
losophy. Thus, obeying the higher law, and braving 
the lower law, our Keacli mounted, in the disgraceful 
reign of the Stuarts, in all manfulness the pillory ; and 
our Bunyan lay twelve years, an innocent captive in the 
dungeon. In the like heroic temper, Ilichard Baxter 
the meek and holy, bore the brutal calumnies and insults 
of the wretched George, Lord Jeffries ; and Harrison, 
the regicide, as contemporaries styled him, the brave 
and pure patriot, as posterity hails him, moved with 
dauntless steadfastness to the scaffold, which sought to 
degrade him and his fellow sufferers, but which they 
consecrated and glorified as the high stage of an un- 
stinted and saintly patriotism. The church thus guards 
law by obedience, where it can ; by disobedience where 
it must ; and by both processes, purifies the earthly 
fountains of legislation. 

So, too, the church cherishes liberty, and is herself 
the best nurse and guardian of the principles that make 
liberty possible, and that render it resolved, consistent, 
and eternal. She recognizes, too, the right of the State 
not only to regulate property at large, but also her 
especial right to hinder, by the law of mortmain, the ac- 
cumulation of too large a portion of the soil or of per- 
sonal property, in the dead, clenched hand of ecclesiasti- 
cal corporations — a clutch that, once made, is never 
surrendered. She holds such restraint of mortmain 
to be a law of spiritual prudence for the interests of 



444 Church in its Relations to State. 

religion no less than of government. She can, in our 
Christian republic, rejoice in the abrogation of the 
entail and the primogeniture, which in other lands make 
Wealth petulant and heartless, and render Poverty forlorn 
not onl}^, but desperate. Loyalty she sanctifies. Duty 
she elevates and maintains. Industry she saves from 
greed; and Prosperity she warns against egotism and 
brutalism. The guardian of order, the witness of truth, 
the bringer of peace, and the pattern of benevolence ; — 
hers is an especial mission to the world's forgotten ones, 
to the outcasts who cower in the hedges or loiter along 
the highways — to the afflicted, the poor, the oppressed, 
the stranger and the barbarian. And her errand of phi- 
lanthropy, overleaping all the narrow bounds of earthly 
states, and throwing down the barriers of alien dialects, 
is not to cease till her Christ and her Lord come again 
to a reunited race. 

In these and in other w^ays, the church does much 
work for the material and secular benefit of the commu- 
nity, which no political society can do efiectively for 
itself. And whilst the Christian pulpit must lose influ- 
ence and dignity, if mingling habitually and needlessly 
in the daily political strife; yet, on the other hand, it 
must, as the prophetic witness of the JSTew Testament 
dispensation be called, in great national emergencies, to 
denounce sin in the nation, the collective sovereign of 
the republic, as fearlessly as did Nathan, a prophet of 
the old dispensation, denounce sin in David, the indi- 
vidual sovereign of a monarchy. Against the pulpit so 
witnessing for righteousness, mere politicians will charge 
a departure from the legitimate office of the ministry. 
But these critics forget that its very errand from 
Heaven is to preach repentance — personal repentance as 
the only escape from individual perdition — national re- 
pentance as God's appointed and only way for escaping 



Church in its Relations to State. 445 

national judgments and national overthrow. And how 
such criticism is to be heeded, the Holy Ghost taught, 
centuries since, when it presented Amos, the prophet of 
old, rebuked by a politic priest for venturing to reprove 
sin in Bethel, the king's chapel, and the king's court. 
The prophet herdsman of Tekoa faltered not. Bethel 
was in his commission, precisely for this reason, that it 
was the king's chapel and the king's court. In a repub- 
lican government, as is ours, the nation is bodily its own 
king and kaiser. And if national tresspasses become 
grievous, and national perils grow grave, every sanctu- 
ary in such a land becomes a '' king's chapel," into which 
the modern Amoses may — aye, must, carry their unwel- 
come testimony. And its intense unpalatableness to 
some may only prove its thorough needfulness. 

lY. Our last remarks were to be on the true freedom 
and proper independence of the church and the state, as 
leading to the highest prosperity of each. This freedom, 
on either hand, requires the jealous and perpetual re- 
membrance of their distinctness of office. That same 
freedom requires also, as we believe, a preservation of 
the New Testament use of the term church for a single 
local congregation. There, as we think, the Bible leaves 
the visible church : and Congregationalism recognizes it 
as there left. This very individuality, so to speak, of 
each local assembl}^, and the narrowness of the immedi- 
ate territory, give greater enterprise, and leave room for 
more unembarrassed action. And as briber}^ at the hust- 
ings becomes impossible with a numerous popular con- 
stituency, so corruption of the Christian church, on the 
part of the state, becomes difficult when instead of one 
great national church, accessible in a few leaders, the 
land is filled with numerous clusters of churches, each 
entire in its own freedom and power, independent all, 
and yet all influential : and far as one truth rules, and 
38 



446 Church in its Relations to State. • 

one Spirit of God sways them all, this, their indepen- 
dence not forbidding unison of feeling, and unity of 
religious testimony. And, as in the human frame the 
life is in the blood, and the health and vitalit}' of that 
blood is traceable to the minute, red globules that per- 
vade -it, each globule in itself orbed and perfect ; so the 
welfare religiously of the land depends on the normal 
working and spiritual healthfulness of individual con- 
gregations, each a red globule in the veins of the 
nation's moral life. Let men know themselves but men, 
who may have personal access through the Mediator 
Jesus to a personal God — men, at the highest but 
men, wlien, like Nebuchadnezzar on the throne — men, 
when at the lowest, altogether men, — though like Jere- 
miah in the miry pit, or toiling in the slave gang and 
the cotton field. And the gospel thus bringing rich and 
poor, ruler and bondsman, to one level of moral ac- 
countability and guiltiness before God, and one plane of 
hopefulness, ransom, and brotherhood by Christ, teaches 
equality as no socialist could innocently realize it, as no 
scheming political leveler ever comprehended it. The 
gospel, universally diffused and obeyed, would bring the 
autocrat from his isolation and absolutism to become 
with Alfred or St. Louis, the father of his people : and 
must ultimately lift the serf of Russian steppes, and 
Cuban sugar-fields, to the rank, and the restraints of a 
freedman and a brother in Christ Jesus. And no nation 
can become generally and vitally free but by such influ- 
ences as the gospel and the Spirit of God only can 
minister. Man needs, even for his highest earthly de- 
velopment, an intellect pervaded by the truth — a con- 
science made tender, calm, firm and wise by the Scrip- 
ture and the Holy Ghost, and a humanity and fraternity 
which the Nazarene only imparts, as he himself, in the 
highest degree exemplified them. Whom the Son thus 



Church in Its Relations to State. 447 

makes free, lie is free indeed. And godliness, in its 
aim at the life to come, has thus " the promise also of the 
life that now is.'^ 

Earthly potentates, feeling the need of the morals and 
the sanction of Christianity, are slow to recognize her 
native and proper independence, and would burden and 
hamper her with the liver^^, wages and restrictions of 
secular governments. God accepts and blesses the 
friendship of earthly rulers to his own cause and word, 
in proportion as such rulers accept the inferior position 
of nursing fathers to a celestial progen}^, not of their 
lineage, and still less their liege subject and servitor. 
The Zion of God, as to her birth and her lot, is a king's 
daughter, and a Redeemer's bride. And though, in the 
days of Christ's personal humiliation, he would receive 
no earthly crown or sceptre, the time is coming, when 
the people of the saints of the Most High God shall 
have dominion, when their principles shall have elevated 
and reconciled all earth's down trodden and jarring 
races ; and then shall come the voice proclaiming, that 
the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of 
our Lord, and of his Christ. 

How the church may interpenetrate the state, and jet 
retain its own spiritual distinctness, may be in part made 
intelligible, if we consider how the familj^ bond, recog- 
nized of the state, may yet transcend the limits, and 
escape in many respects the jurisdiction of the state. 
We can readily imagine — we may some of us have 
known a single household — not, it may be, a score in 
numbers, who yet have become dispersed through se- 
veral lands, to remote climes, and under very diverse 
forms of political government. Yet the family bond, 
stretched over such intervals and chasms, may remain 
unbroken. The child of parents who are now living by 
the Shannon or the Danube, under British monarchy or 



448 Church in its Relations to State. 

Austrian imperialism, ma}^ be on our shores an American 
citizen. And the American freeman may, in turn, have 
a son of his a missionary witness for Christ at the Bur- 
man court of farther Asia, or in a Caffre Kraal of 
Southern Africa. One humble, and not numerous, house- 
hold may thus interpenetrate with its family unity and 
life the most various grades of civilization or barbarism 
— the most diverse forms of absolutism or democracy, 
or clanship. Idle would it be for the European sov- 
ereign of the grand sire to claim the American citizen 
the son, and the Burman missionary the grandson, as 
all by family ties his proper liege subjects. It would be 
interference without warrant, for any African chief or 
Asiatic despot, where one section of the household were 
domiciled, should he claim, that he could dissever at his 
will their conjugal and paternal and filial relations. The 
nation and the family are, and should remain, distinct. 
So does the church of Christ, the household of faith, 
claim to retain its ineffaceable distinctness alike from 
the family, and from the nation. And yet, everj^ where, 
and to the men of every hue and tongue, that church 
may have its quick and hearty sympathies, for the bar- 
barian whose rudeness it does not share, the despots 
whose mode of role it does not sanction, and the free- 
men whose privileges and home comforts it, for the 
time perchance, foregoes, though it can never forget 
them. The religion we believe and avouch, though a 
child of the skies, may become, for certain seasons, the 
nursling and foster child of snay earthly form of po- 
litical power. But her own internal law is from God ; 
her life is hid with his Christ. And free, as the truth 
makes free, and as the Son of God makes free, no earthly 
wrongs can irremediably crush her ; no barriers of 
earthly oppression or hellish malice can, ultimately or 
even long, check her onward course. The word of God 



Church in its Relations to State. 449 

is not bound. That word she consults, proclaims, reflects 
and inherits. Of that word she shares the curbless 
career, and must partake eternally of its predestined, 
inevitable, and universal triumphs. 

To some the individual congregation may suggest 
only images of weakness and omens of failure. But let 
us remember God's mode of working and his warrant 
of success. When jS^ehemiah gratefully recounted before 
God the Lord's past benefits to the Jewish people, he enu- 
merated among them this : ''Moreover thou didst divide 
them into corners."* It is a difficult phrase, and vari- 
ously construed. But some interpret it as an allusion 
to the territorial isolation with which God blessed his 
chosen people, and such as Balaam recognized in them : 
" Lo, the loeople shall dwell alone, and shall not be 
reckoned among the nations "; and such as Moses also 
exulted over in his dying benediction: ''Israel then 
shall dwell in safet}^ alone." The shutting them into 
corners recalls, in this light, the image of a small but 
heroic band, who are planted in the angles of a rocky 
defile, whose inaccessible, x)recipitous walls shut them 
in on either hand, and deprive their assailants of all 
hope of smiting them on either flank. The}' are men 
who guard a Thermopylae, where a handful can bar the 
pathway of outnumbering myriads of enemies. So 
Jehovah, their fathers' God, in selecting the home of his 
elect tribes put them in the hills and valleys stretching 
from the foot of Lebanon to the desert and to the sea, 
with no large harbor of their occupancy, opening upon 
the blue Mediterranean. By that very seclusion he pro- 
vided best for their integrity and national simplicity, to 
remain uncorrupted by entangling alliances and unen- 
dangered by aggressive neighbors. So has God shut 

* Nehem. ix. 22, 

38* 



450 Church in its Relations to State. 

up as " into corners," his own church of the ransomed 
and the regenerate. By their congregational individual- 
ism, not national, not hereditary — no traditional, trans- 
mitted clanship; — by their spirituality, making grace 
and the Hol}^ Ghost the first terms of their continued 
accretions, and their perpetuated vitality, are they en- 
closed and hemmed in. Walled are they, on one side, 
b}^ the narrow limits of the local congregation, too small 
a body to be separately enlisted by so large a power as 
the nation ; and on the other, by the nature of their 
inner invisible life, a God-given and God-guarded power, 
which it w^as not for human governments to begin or for 
human governments to intercept and extinguish. For- 
malists and persecutors, in Pagan and in later times, 
have sneered at the Christian gatherings, met in cor- 
ners and obscure nooks — '' Conventicles," tiny assem- 
blages, as the taunting word describes them, as if bodies 
so feeble and isolated had and could have no power. 
But when their fewness and human fragility threw them 
back, in simplest faith, on their Divine Helper — when 
their conscious incompetence to evangelize tJie masses 
by their own talents and resources backed up these 
hunted, harried, contemned conventicles against tlie 
'' Rock of Ages" — then came in truth, the Almighty, to 
the rescue. The village Dothan was girdled with the 
glittering Mahanaim of God's encamped hosts. '' Di- 
vided into corners!" you said? Even so. Flung back, 
thereby, on the arm of the Omnipotent and the bosom of 
Jesus — they found the Jehovah-Jireh, adequate to and 
pledged for the impending struggle. Even so; for 
through the hiss of their enemies' scorn came, clear and 
sweet, the voice which said: '' Fear not, little flock, it is 
your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." 
Not so many scores of 3'ears ago, there sat in Christian 
Britain, on the door-steps of a prison, a Christian wife, 



Church in its Relations to State. 451 

whose husband was incarcerated within for his share in 
such conventicles. She nursed at her breast her little 
babe. That child, of pigmy frame, and thus early 
steeped in tears, was Isaac Watts, whose hymns have 
followed the English language all around the globe. 
The leader of another conventicle, great in genius and 
in the grace of God, was immured for full one third of 
the years of his manhood in a dungeon narrower and 
murkier than the conventicles he haunted. He wrote in 
that dark, close nook, the Pilgrim's Progress. And 
long as the Pilgrim of the one is read in so many a dia- 
lect, and the Hj^mns of the other go wafted around the 
globe, who shall say that the men, driven into corners, 
had no power with God, and have no honor on high ? 

In its pristine and scriptural simplicity the local 
church can scarcely seem a desirable ally, or a servicea- 
ble retainer to the nation, a vast territorial and heredi- 
tary aggregate. But they dwell, like Israel of old, in 
safety, because, in this respect at least like Israel when 
Balaam and when Moses survej^ed them, they '' dwell 
alone.'' Born not of the will of man, or of the will of 
the flesh, but of the word and Spirit of the Most High, 
the}^ seek their pedigree, not in the herald's college, but 
in the Lamb's book of life. They authenticate their 
new credentials by the oracles of Holy Writ. Sove- 
reigns and Congresses may cherish the religion ; but they 
cannot rightfull}^ elevate themselves above it to revise 
it, or recast its institutions, or supplement its principles 
by their own philosophies or policies. Its first Founder 
is pledged to remain its untiring Pilot — the Immortal, 
the Infallible, the Immutable, and the Omnipotent Christ. 
To his truth and his flock, all earthly patronage, be it 
that of a Constantine or an Alfred, an Edward the Sixth 
or a Gustavus Adolphus, is but that of a nursing father. 
Such foster-parent may be noble — may be kingly — but 



452 Church in its Relations to State. 

the charge is more noble and more kingly than is the 
guardian ; and has been ennobled by an earlier patent, 
and crowned for a loftier empire. Cherishing the deposit 
of revelation that is in the keeping of God's church, 
earthly favorers of Zion find in the virtues, and graces, 
and prayers of God's people an abundant overpayment 
of all their beneficence. And the earnest study of Scrip- 
ture, and the heart}^ love of Zion, will soon show, that, 
to the mutual benefit of the church and the state, it is 
needed that there should be a perfect and stable inde- 
pendence. With fields of influence that not only touch, 
but interlace and overlap, there adheres to the very 
nature of the two a distinctness. Distinct they must 
remain, as the soil is distinct from the dew that satu- 
rates and fattens it — as the earth is distinct from the 
fragrance of the roses that have scented it, and have 
sprung from it, and yet are of an organization and a 
nature apart from its own. The nation changes. Its 
monuments crumble ; its Tyres lose commerce ; and its 
Baby Ions gather desolation. The race and its language 
run out. But the church of God is indestructible as 
its Author, its life hid with Christ in God, its citizen- 
ship on high, and its record in the book which the judg- 
ment day shall open, and to which all the universe shall 
listen. 

We love our country, and rejoice, my brethren, with a 
lofty gratitude for the wonders which God has wrought 
for the state on our shores, reared by such mercies, and 
guarded by such recent and wondrous deliverances. 
But we do well to remember that we need, as the so- 
journers who are soon to quit earth, " a better country, 
that is, a heavenlv.'^ And of our admission to that land, 
the evidences are to be found in our spiritual meetness. 
Each true church is a recruiting outer station for the 
great Invisible Church there, w^hose walls are salvation, 



Church in its Relations to State. 453 

and whose gates are praise, of which the Lamb shall, 
one clay, be the Temple and the nnsetting Light. Am I 
Christ's ? Do I, as his liegeman, recognize cordially 
and habitually the great truth of Christ's uttering, that 
he would have all her people render to man and to God, 
to earth and to heaven, to Csesar and to Jehovah, their 
appropriate debt of service ? He would require piety to 
God to be adorned with all virtues toward man ; and 
would base all earthly duties on heavenl}^ principles. It 
is but this reasonable service that I render to Christ the 
w^hole heart, the solemn vow, the habitual homage, and 
the dedicated life w^hich he demands, and which he fuU}^ 
deserves. '^ To God the things which be God's." And 
Christ, as being my God no less than ni}^ Brother, would 
have me bear his own image, and legibly display the su- 
perscription that stamps me not my own, but my Lord's. 
All true godliness is of the mintage of tlie Redeemer. 
Thus, loyal to the earthly country, and loyal with a yet 
more blessed consecration to the heavenly country, and 
to its King, my Lord and Redeemer, shall I best, with 
David, serve my generation by the will of God — and 
pass, when this briefer and lower service expires, to the 
endless fellowship and worship of the church of the 
first-born, all washed in one blood, arrayed in one 
righteousness, radiant with one glory, and named — the 
whole famil}^ in heaven and on earth — with the one 
name of this Elder Brother. In the dread day, when 
the winnovving fan of Judgment shall part the formal 
from the real, the chaff from the kernel — shall sunder 
not only the bonds of country, but the closer ties of 
earthly kindred and home, and of all ecclesiastical fel- 
lowship merely exterior and ostensible — when, of tlie 
children who kneeled at the side of one mother, sat in 
the same pew, and ate bread at tlie same table — that 
winnowing shall take one and leave the other — happy 



454 Church in its Relations to State. 

shall he be who shall then and there be owned of Christ 
as one who trul^'- was owning and avouching Christ 
here. Such shall pass into their Lord's kingdom and 
glory, reigning as kings and priests with Christ for- 
ever, when the empires and monuments of earth shall 
have gone into the cinders of the last conflagration, 
molten and evanished forever. 



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